The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, October 07, 1997, Image 1
104™ YEAR • ISSUE 27 • 14 PACES COLLEGE STATION • TX TUESDAY • OCTOBER 7 • 1997 Bush Library route widened to 4 lanes George Bush Drive, from Well born Road to FM 2818, has been widened to a four lanes with raised medians. Texas Department of Transporta tion officials said motorists should be able to travel on two lanes in £ach direction today. * Construction will continue on the outside of the road and on the medi ans and also on Marion Pugh Drive. The Bush Drive widening project is expected to be completed this fall. Work began October 1995 under .a $4.5 million contract with Young Contractors, Inc. Red tide leaves scientists baffled CORPUS CHRISTI (AP) — Scien tists seeking to unlock the mystery of red tide now say the deadly algae 'may sit dormant beneath the Gulf floor, waiting for the right conditions to reproduce. But the greatest part of the mystery remains unsolved: What triggers the microscopic popula tion explosion? Thousands of manhours and mil lions of research dollars have been spent to answer that question and to define what constitutes the right conditions for growth. Scientists chase the blooms, fly over the blooms and measure their concentration, but say they know little more than they knew a decade ago. Charges to be filed against Gonzalez DALLAS (AP) — Suspended super intendent Yvonne Gonzalez has been informed by federal prosecutors crimi nal charges will be filed against her as early as this week, according to documents and a source familiar with the investigation. The preliminary charge is embez zlement, but Gonzalez also could face charges of witness tampering and obstruction of justice, the source, who requested to remain unidentified, told The Dallas Morn ing News in a copyright story pub lished Monday. The embezzlement allegation involves a $16,000 purchase of home and office furniture in Janu ary, three weeks after Gonzalez assumed her duties as superin tendent. Silver Taps The Silver Taps ceremony will be tonight at 10:30 in fron t of the Academ ic Building in honor of Juan David Zapata, a senior en vironmental design major. Zapata also will be remem bered at the Muster Cere mony April 21,1998. college students. See Page 3 Defensive Coordinator Mike Hankwitz’s football helmet collection traces game’s past. See Page 9 Johnston: Campus organiza tions have duty to produce strong leaders. See Page 13 http://bat-web.tarmi.eclu Hook up with state and national news through The Wire, AP’s 24-hour online news service. NOW stresses equal roles in family By Robert Smith Senior stajf writer Karen Dorris of the National Orga nization for Women (NOW) said Mon day night the Promise Keepers, a male religious group, teaches women to be submissive to men. “We would like them to promise re spect for women’s equality,” Dorris said. Dorris, editor of the newsletter The Texas NOW Times, said the Promise Keepers do not believe men and women have equal roles in the family. “The Promise Keepers have por trayed women’s equality as a source of society’s ills,” she said. John Barring, Class of ’93 and a member of the Promise Keepers, said the purpose of the group is to improve men and their roles in families. “The whole deal is about men be ing responsible, sexually and morally pure, paying attention to responsibil ities to their family, being faithful to their church and striving to overcome racial bar riers,” he said. Dorris spoke to about 20 people, mostly women, at the MSC and showed a video containing clips from Promise Keepers assemblies. The video also showed part of an interview with Promise Keepers founder Bill McCartney. Dorris said the Promise Keepers are building a “political army.” John Barring, the college minister at First Baptist Church in Bryan, said the group is not politically motivated. “It has nothing to do with politics and has everything to do with man and God and his wife and family,” he said. “I would defy you to find a politi cal agenda.” Barring attended the Promise Keepers “sacred assembly” in Wash ington, D.C. last weekend. “It was an unbelievable experi ence,” he said. “There were men there from every country and every racial background.” Dorris said a television forum she participated in last week was an example of the Promise Keepers us ing the media to distort minority representation. She appeared on a Bouston television fomm with an African-American Baptist preacher who is a Promise Keeper. Dorris said the group’s multi-mil lion dollar public relations budget al lows the Promise Keepers to promote itself in a positive way. ROBERT McKAY/The Battalion Karen Dorris, a member of NOW, speaks at the MSC Mon day night. Be our guest RONY ANGKRIWAN/The Battalion Clarisse Ngono, a Blinn student, dresses tables for a buffet banquet Monday afternoon. UT presidential search focuses on 9 candidates AUSTIN (AP) —A committee seeking a president for the University of Texas has narrowed the field of candidates to nine, committee chair Lowell Leber- mann says. But their identities aren’t be ing disclosed. In an interview published Monday by the Austin American-Statesman, Leber- mann, who also is a UT regent, said the committee hopes a new Austin campus chief can be named by late November. “I’m extremely excited about the cal iber of the candidates,” he said. Lebermann, an Austin businessman, said the 17-member search committee will interview the nine candidates this month. They include nationally known educators and nominees who already work in the UT System, he said. Be declined to be more specific. “We have probably looked at 70 to 80 people, and we got serious with about 30 or 35,” Lebermann said. “Then we win nowed it down to the nine.” After the interviews, the panel hopes to recommend three to five candidates to the board of regents. A recent change in the regents’ rules allows fewer than five to be recom mended, which could permit the panel to suggest just one. Please see UT on Page 8. Conference reaches A&M via satellite Campus, industry leaders discuss global warming By Rachel Dawley Staff writer Texas A&M was one of 30 sites across the nation to re ceive a live-satellite broadcast of a White Bouse confer ence on global warming yesterday. The conference at Georgetown University presented problems and possible solu tions of global warming. Sci entists and industry leaders addressed different aspects of the global warming issue. Judy Canales, moderator and representative from the □ See related story, Page 6. rural development sector of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said the conference is part of the Clinton ad ministration’s effort to educate American people about Climate change. The conference was designed td help form U.S. policy on this issue. “We are not trying to force issues on the American pub lic, just to provide information so that universities, busi nesses, and industrial groups can come together for solu tions,” Canales said. “People must become aware of what climate changes mean and the human effect on our nation and the world. More research and development will allow for industry to become more environmentally focused.” 1 Participants included scientists, economists, corpo rate executives, environmental, civic and labor leaders, small-business owners, members of Congress and rep resentatives of state and local governments. The agenda included remarks from President Bill Clin ton, Vice President A1 Gore and First Lady Biliary Clinton. Panel discussions led by Clinton featured Secretary of En ergy Federico Pena, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Deputy Secretary of Treasury Lawrence Summers. Please see Conference on Page 8. Work study program educates children with low reading scores ByKarie Fehler Staff writer A federal work study program with reading tu tor and bilingual tutor positions is available to students who quality. The America Reads Challenge: The Initiative is a work study program that places tutors in lo cal elementary schools, where they work with children with low reading scores. The program is endorsed by President Bill Clinton. Nora Cargo, a graduate assistant in the finan cial aid depart ment, said the program is a unique opportu nity for students who qualify to re duce loan debt and participate in community ser vice. “The Initiative allows some stu dents to take out less loan money and actually earn real money — this is money that doesn’t have to be repaid,” she said. “This program is also different than regular campus work study in that it is a community ef fort to help children learn to read.” Cargo, a student affairs and administration in higher education graduate student, said students must qualify for federal work study before they can apply for The Initiative. “The first step to applying for this job is to complete the Federal Application for Free Stu dent Aid — the FAFSA,” Cargo said. “Once a per son is awarded federal work study, they can fill out an actual application for the job.” The applications are sent to the educational psychology department, where Patricia Lynch, the campus coordinator ofThe Initiative, reviews . applications and coordinates interviews. Cargo said steps are taken to ensure a good student-to-school match is made. “Patricia Lynch, the director of the program, works very hard to match a candidate with a school, and then the student interviews there,” she said. The student is hired after a match is agreed upon by Lynch, the student and the school. Lynch said students give back to the community by par ticipating in the America Reads Challenge. “This program really helps the work study stu dent give back to the Bryan-College Station area,” she said. “These students are receiving federal as sistance to go to school and in turn, they are get ting a chance to pay it back by helping others to get a good education.” Joanna Bounds, an educational psychology graduate student, coordinates the America Reads Challenge at Jones Elementary in Bryan. Bounds said the tutors at Jones Elementary work with small groups of children to help them improve reading skills. “It has been a really good experience to work with kids at all levels,” she said. “Some kids don’t get help at home or are behind their grade level —different kids need different help, and this gives me a broad experience in improving their edu cation.” Tanja Bamman, the coordinator ofThe Initia tive at Rock Prairie Elementary and a profession al student in educational psychology, said the program helps fix children’s reading problems early in their education. “The Initiative program really does make a dif ference,” she said. Bamman said she would recommend the program to students who want to work with chil dren and who qualify for federal work study. “The kids are all so great you just fall in love with them,” she said. “I haven’t had any com plaints, and the pay is really good.” “This program really helps the work study student give back to the Bryan- College Station area.” NORA CARGO GRADUATE STUDENT, FINANCIAL AID DEPT. Hispanic groups aim for fraternity status By Colleen Kavanagh Staff writer Two Bispanic men’s organizations, Lambda Theta Phi and the United Gen tlemen’s Council, and a Bispanic women’s organization, Sisters For Cul tural Awareness, are working to become chapters of national fraternities. The Texas A&M colony of Lambda Theta Phi became a registered colony July 27 and hopes to become a chapter in December. Gilbert Saldivar Jr., a ju nior sociology major, is one of five founding brothers of the colony. “We brought Lambda Theta Phi into Texas,” he said. “It is primarily a North east fraternity, so crossing into Texas is a big step.” Saldivar said Lambda Theta Phi members speak to high-school students about ways to afford college. Members also volunteer at Elder-Aid to help el derly residents in the Bryan-College Sta tion area. Mito Espinosa, a founding brother of Lambda Theta Phi and a senior history major, said only one Bispanic fraternity was at A&M before Lambda Theta Phi. “Lambda Theta Phi provides a new av enue for people to pursue,” he said. “I feel like I am adding something to A&M.” United Gentlemen’s Council wants to become a colony of Sigma Lambda Beta, a social Latino fraternity. Rene Sorola, a member of United Gentlemen’s Council and a junior busi ness administration major, said the pur pose of the fraternity is to promote cul tural awareness through education and community service. “We target unfortunate teenagers and try to get them off the streets,” Soro la said. “We encourage teens to become ed ucated and get involved in their com munity, like the Boy’s Clubs of America.” Mark Ramos, a founder of the organi zation, said there is a bond among the students working to make the organiza tion a registered colony. “It is neat to think that in 10 years, pledges and actives will remember our names as the founding fathers of Sigma Lambda Beta,” he said. A Bispanic women’s service organi zation, Sisters For Cultural Awareness, is a registered colony of Sigma Lambda Gamma, a national Latina sorority. Jessica Bickey, a founder of the colony, said the women of Sisters For Cultural Awareness began looking for a sorority last April. “Sigma Lambda Gamma was the sorority we really liked,” she said. “We want to keep Sigma Lambda Gamma a service organization, and Sisters For Cultural Awareness will remain a cam pus organization.” Bickey said Sigma Lambda Gamma is a Bispanic sorority, but the group hopes to branch out to other A&M students. “I think an international organization like this will be good for Texas A&M,” she said. “Starting Sigma Lambda Gamma will always be a part of us.” Please see Status on Page 8.