19, lC
Texas A & M University
ppr* 6,
.T’KwlSJ k .
YEAR* ISSUE 59* 12 PAGES
4 xm
TODAY TOMORROW
See extended forecast. Page 2.
THURSDAY • NOVEMBER 20 • 1997
ftrplP gilt,
me in to Bowen’s
low on KAMU-TV
UH ‘dummy classes’ cause concern
Texas A&M President Dr. Ray M.
ven will be featured today from 7
, to 8 p.m. on a televised ques-
and-answer show on KAMU-TV
A Cable Channel 4).
Dther panelists on “Ask the
sident" will include Dr. Ron Dou-
|s, executive vice president of
demic affairs and provost; Dr.
|ry Gaston, vice president of ad-
n'stration; Dr. J. Malon Souther-
id, the vice president of student
and William Krumm, vice
sident of finance.
among ff*rr
5*ih ff
’•»»«. Egyptian
Making
financial ends
meet can be
i difficult with the
added expense
of college.
See Page 3
sports
Ofrner UT coach Darrell
oyal achieved success that
pay never be matched.
See Page 5
opinion
e iguson: Politically correct
§gie War Hymn degrades
u e spirit of its history.
See Page 11
>://ba ttalioii.tamu.edu
1Cc ess updates on Iraq’s
0, ripliance with weapons
Jspectors through The Wire,
p ’ s 24-hour news service.
HOUSTON (AP) — Graduate
students at the University of
Houston enrolled in “dummy
classes” in which they did little or
no work but which apparently re
sulted in more state money for
the school.
University officials said such
on-paper-only classes originated
decades ago and once existed in
some departments to free gradu
ate students from a heavy course
load while they served as teaching
assistants.
Administrators said they were
shocked, however, to learn from
an accreditation committee six
months ago that students still
were signing up for dummy class
es in 1997.
The committee’s preliminary
report came after the accredita
tion committee of the Southern
Association of Colleges and
Schools, an arm of the Commis
sion on Colleges, visited the uni
versity’s campus in February for its
once-a-decade review.
“We should have gotten our
hands slapped, and we did,” said
George Magner, the university’s
interim vice chancellor for acade
mic affairs.
The university’s accreditation
does not appear to be in jeopardy.
The committee will issue its final
report in December.
‘The Texas Higher Education
Coordinating Board apparently
used the credit hours for the pho
ny classes to calculate the school’s
biannual appropriations.
Please see Classes on Page 12.
Night moves
During the television show,
as A&M students, faculty and
iff can call 845-5656 to ask
estions.
ternational panel
iscusses currency
A panel of three international af-
rs leaders debated unified cur-
icyin the European Union (EU)
ddiscussed current affairs in the
last night in the MSC.
Dr. Jeffrey Gedmin, executive di-
itorofthe New Atlantic Initiative;
jxander Vondra, ambassador of
Czech Republic to the United
ates; and Nigel Evans, a member
the task force preparing the Inter-
vernmental Conference, served
the panel.
The MSC Wiley Lecture Series
ansored the forum.
The EU expects to convert to the
wro,'' a single currency, in banking
id financing Jan. 1,1999, and be-
acirculation of euro banknotes by
eyear2002.
today last day for
&IVI-UT tickets
Today is the last day to for Texas
students to buy tickets to the
lllniversity of Texas football
he Nov. 28.
students can buy tickets from
a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Athletic Ticket
fice in G. Rollie White Coliseum.
Although guest tickets are sold
a student can obtain a guest
for $17.50 with a sports pass.
leputy sheriff hurt
plane crash
BEAUMONT (AP) — A Jefferson
founty sheriff’s deputy suffered bro-
i legs Wednesday when his de-
tment plane crashed and burned
Jthe county airport.
I Deputy Billy Ray was approaching
Handing strip about 5 p.m. when
|neof the plane's wing tips scraped
i runway, causing the aircraft to
Ip,television station KJAC reported.
The twin-engine Cessna, “Jailbird
[was engulfed in flames when res-
|e workers arrived. The flames
fere extinguished, but Ray was
fcpped inside for nearly two hours.
Ray was flown to St. Elizabeth Hos-
I in Beaumont with two broken
s. He was listed in guarded but sta-
s condition Wednesday night.
RYAN ROGERS/The Battalion
Students work at the Bonfire stack site at the Polo Fields Wednesday evening. Bonfire is scheduled to burn November 27 before the A&M-UT game.
(Look for The Battalion’s Bonfire Preview in next Wednesday’s issue.)
Online poll ranks A&M-UT rivalry No. 1
By Stacey Becks
Staff writer
The rivalry between Texas A&M and the Uni
versity of Texas is leading USA Today’s online sur-
®e ftiwairs
vey of the strongest rivalry between two colleges
in the nation.
The USA Today college football rivalry poll Is
one of the weekly “best of” surveys the magazine
is conducting to promote its sports coverage.
Joe Nunnally, a sports content developer at
USA Today who works on the surveys, said he is
not surprised that the Texas A&M-Texas rivalry is
in the lead.
“The rivalry between A&M and UT is defi
nitely up there among the best,” he said.
The results of the rivalry poll will be posted on
USA Today's web site Tliesday or Thursday of next
week, before the A&M-Texas football game Friday.
Some A&M students think tradition is the rea
son A&M competes with Texas.
Aaron Horn, a senior redpot and an agricul
ture development major, said the tradition of
Bonfire is proof of A&M’s desire to beat the Uni
versity of Texas.
“Bonfire has been around for 88 years,” he
said. “From where I am I see tons of Aggies get
together and spend the whole fall semester try
ing to outdo t.u.”
Sam Bluntzer, a junior yell leader and an ac
counting major, said the reason the two schools
are so competitive is because of the Texas pride
and culture both schools have.
“Texans in general have a lot of character and
tradition so when one school wins, it gives them
state bragging rights,” he said. “We also have
strong former student support.”
Nunnally said A&M has done well in all the sur
veys the school is entered in. The University almost
won the “best stadium” survey a few weeks ago,
and this is the second week in a row A&M has led
one of the polls. Last week, the “Aggie War Hymn”
was first in the poll to find the best college fight
song until the survey was canceled.
Please see Rivalry on Page 12.
Groups
unite to
educate
smokers
By Julietta Jordan
Staff writer
Texas A&M Cancer Society
and Alpha Phi Omega (APO) ser
vice fraternity will host the na
tionwide Great American
Smokeout at Texas A&M today
from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Booths will be set up at the
MSC, Blocker Building and the
Biochemistry/Biophysics Build
ing with pamphlets and
brochures to inform students
about the dangers of smoking
and tobacco use.
Juice, bagels, donuts and
gum will be offered to students
at the booths.
Suzanne Ritamonti, market
ing chair of the A&M Cancer So
ciety and a junior biomedical sci
ence major, said the Great
American Smokeout tries to help
prevent people from getting can
cer as the result of tobacco use.
She said the Cancer Society
challenges people to quit smok
ing for one day in order to prove
that they can quit for a lifetime.
“If they can give it up for one
day — that’s something,” she
said.
Rachel Drayer, APO project
chair for the smokeout and a ju
nior psychology major, said A&M
students can participate in the
event by making the commit
ment to quit smoking for the day
or by sponsoring someone who
is tiying to quit.
Drayer said the smokeout fo
cuses on the risks of smoking.
“Hopefully, it turns the light
on in people’s heads of how ad
dicting it can be,” she said.
Andrea Klement, secretary of
the A&M Cancer Society and a
sophomore psychology major,
said smoking is a popular habit
among students.
“Smoking is on the rise with
college students,” she said.
During the smokeout today,
students can obtain information
on the influences of tobacco in
American society.
According to the American
Cancer Society, one in five Amer
icans die from tobacco use each
year. A total of 419,000 Ameri
cans die from tobacco-related
causes each year.
Throughout their lives, smok
ers produce an estimated $501 bil
lion in excess health care costs.
Each year, Medicare spends more
than $15 billion for tobacco relat
ed treatments.
Albright: Iraq will yield
to weapons inspectors
Iraq's arsenal
Weapons of mass destruction can be
smuggled across the border or
launched in a missle attack.
Weapons of mass destruction
GENEVA (AP) — Iraq has indi
cated it will allow U.S. weapons in
spectors to return to the country,
Secretary of State Madeleine Al
bright said Thursday after an
emergency, middle-of the night
meeting among the five perma
nent members of the U.N. Securi
ty Council.
Albright said the United States
made no concession to Iraq to
gain its agreement.
There was no immediate
word from Iraq, but Albright
said she understood an an
nouncement would come later
Thursday from Baghdad.
“We expect that today Iraq will
make a decision that absolutely all
the inspectors, without any ex
ceptions, will return to Iraq, and
will begin to work there normally,”
Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny
Primakov told reporters as he left
to catch a plane for Brazil.
“That’s what Russia achieved...
without any use of violence, any
use of weapons, without a show of
force, it was achieved through
diplomatic means,” said Primakov.
Primakov briefed Albright
and their counterparts from
France and Britain, plus a Chi
nese representative, about his
government’s proposal for end
ing the three-week-long crisis
over weapons inspections.
Albright, speaking at an ear
ly morning news conference,
indicated she was skeptical of
Iraq’s intentions.
“We have to wait to see if it’s car
ried out,” she said. “I will believe it
when I see it.” She added that the
Clinton administration would be
pleased if the weapons inspectors
were allowed back quickly.
In a joint statement read by
British Foreign Secretary Robin
Cook, the diplomats said they
hoped the Russian initiative
would lead to Baghdad’s “uncon
ditional and complete” compli
ance with U.N. Security Council
resolutions.
They gave no indication of
bending to Iraq’s demands for a
reduction in the number of Amer
icans on U.N. weapons inspection
teams. They noted however, that
the U.N. special commission re
sponsible for the inspections
would meet Friday in New York to
review its work.
Please see Iraq on Page 12.
NUCLEAR
The Iraqi nuclear program was thought
capable of producing an implosion-type
nuclear bomb by 1993 the U.S.
Department of Defense believes there are
as many as 20 facilities employed in the
nuclear program.
CHEMICAL
Iraq is suspected of possessing stockpiles
of chemical weapons including sarin,
tabun, soman, VX, mustard agents and
phosphoric bleach. UNSCOM* must
monitor 160 weapon sites.
BIOLOGICAL
UNSCOM must inspect 90 facilities
capable of producing biological weapons.
Iraq is thought to possess 6 tons of
medium for the growth of bio-toxins and
stockpiles of anthrax, aflatoxin, botulinum,
and ricin.
• U.N. Special Commision Inspections in Iraq
Ai-Waleed Mobile launch vehicle
BALLISTIC MISSLES
Iraq is suspected of
possessing from 6 to 16
modified Scud B
missiles. Their enhanced
versions are capable of
delivering warheads with
nuclear, chemical or
biological payloads, from
650 to 3,000 km.
Within Iraq, 28 fixed
launch sites are thought
to exist with as many as
32 more under
construction. Iraq may
also have as many as 19
functional mobile launch
vehicles.
Scud B
single
warhead
ballistic
missile
Source: Center for Defense Information, UNSCOM,
Jane's Strategic Weapon Systems
AP/Wm. J. Gastello, Justin Gilbert
Brazos Food Bank
seeks donations
for Thanksgiving
By Karie Fehler
Staff writer
The Brazos Food Bank is organizing a program to pro
vide Thanksgiving dinner to shut-ins, elderly people and
others in the Brazos County area who cannot afford a
Thanksgiving meal.
The program, “Thanksgiving in the Brazos Valley,” re
lies on Bryan-College Station support and needs 300
turkeys by Nov. 25 to meet its goal to feed the hungry of
the Brazos Valley.
Josie Peacher, the executive director of the Brazos Food
Bank, said several Bryan-College Station businesses are
helping with food and monetary donations, and the food
bank encourages the community to help the hungry.
“This program furthers our mission to alleviate
hunger in the Brazos Valley and we always need food —
turkeys, vegetables, ingredients for dressing—and any
one who would like to help can call the food bank for in
formation on where to drop the food off,” she said.
Peacher said the program works with Meals on
Wheels and other such organizations to find the elderly
or shut-ins who cannot cook Thanksgiving dinner for
themselves.
“If anyone has a neighbor who is elderly or can’t get out,
please call us so we can try to get them a meal,” she said.
The program does not only provide food for less for
tunate families, but Peacher said anyone in need can
contact the Twin City Mission.
Please see Donations on Page 12.