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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (March 4, 1998)
Texas A & M University K ella has-' "I,,, vo inning; tS4 TH YEAR • ISSUE 103 *10 PAGES jes just v. series wfT71 AT - C took twc:^^ ^ Raiders: 5-4 victf St the se; — COLLEGE STATION • TX 75 ^7 b::,a,'y^|5S TODAY TOMORROW WEDNESDAY •MARCH 4 *1998 Briefs MSC Hotline off to smooth start tlalii leAgge- the Agg : rubber TiJ h library to host igofTecr . . . ichigansi nposium today j'ssoun ,|e G eor g e Bush Presidential Li- Kiayat: . anc j Museum will host a sym- q im titled‘‘China-U.S. Higher Ed- ^P6(on: Sharing Experiences and iiniiAi ons ” from 2 to 4 p.m. today in anilOlonference center. Confere 16 symposium is open to the Vs baste c and wi| l b® telecast statewide ?Bigl2:' 3r tofthe Lockheed-Martin World |ortswrite J, ar-in-Residence Program of the e on a na tional Center, n. Thre? " ,e keynote speaker will be Min earns an 6’ executive vice president and ard $' :;)s t of Peking University in China, o the-i an 6 is here as the first partici- verage; in the world scholar-in-residence ids c. rarn ’ which brings academic lead- j jes and experts in various fields to g u3 .1. While visiting, these scholars name- hteract with faculty and students fterai u £h seminars, teaching and re last f ch - guardv’thei participants include sympo- qAikv.i mdderator Kenneth Ashworth, B g • in S professor of the George Bush " ” aol of Government and Public Ser- ; Terrill Lautz, vice president of Hehry Luce Foundation; Don Vn, commissioner of the Texas Q i ^jier Education Coordinating Board; Bryan Cole, professor and head ■iked he Department of Educational Ad- Tea^ istration at Texas A&M. thNc: raduate programs rd * Jmed top in U.S. eon Sr 1 ainec wo doctoral programs in Texas e loss^'s College of Liberal Arts Cocked in the top 35 nationally in Ke snt U.S. News and World Report T-ngs. Hr 3oth the political science and W(. momics Ph.D. programs ranked w - ;h in the national survey, go Charles A. Johnson, professor j head of the Department of Po- w ^al Science, says this is an es- lially notable accomplishment m - c his department. rec Dennis Jansen, professor and ss j s jd of the Department of Eco- NoO nics, notes that U.S. News rank- is consistent with other reputa- j^vbased rankings of the oartment, including the National ^ search Council rankings pub- ve led in 1995. ^ .udent group web te wins award Students at Texas A&M Hillel re- |itly received a “most creative" ard for their web site. Texas A&M Hillel, the Jewish club [campus, competed against all jer university Hillels in the nation [the best web site. lOther universities winning the |ld” medal for the three best web p categories were Overall, Har- |d University; and Most Engaging, prge Washington University, [as A&M HilleRs web page can be ]nd on the Texas A&M web site per Campus Life and Student Or- liizations. INSIDE jxas A&M music programs ovide students with diverse terests to choose from. See Page 3 mior center Larry Thomp- tn prepares for life after ixas A&M basketball. See Page 7 ireles: NASA attempts to rljf vive itself by sending John IT enn back to outer space. rrtf See Page 9 ittp; / /battalion, tamu.edu Took up with state and na- jnal news through The ^ire, AP’s 24-hour online 3ws service. By Kelly Hackworth Staff writer MSC program information can now be as close as a phone call with the introduction of the MSC hotline. Dr. Stephen Biles, associate di rector of the MSC, said the pur pose of the hotline is to give easy access to MSC programs. “We hope the MSC hotline will increase the awareness of the pro grams, services, facilities and stu dent development opportunities available at the Memorial Student 14 Center,” he said. The service can be accessed by calling 847-LINE (847-5463.) The hotline is updated weekly. MSC program information is also avail able at wwwmsc.tamu.edu. The idea for the hotline began two years ago, but is only now being implemented because of the time spent doing research, Biles said. Ricky Allen, MSC technology director and a junior business ad ministration major, said the hot line is run by MSC Computer Op erations and uses Phone Maker by Macintosh. The hotline will go through future improvements, in cluding increasing the speed of the recording, Allen said. “There is currently one phone line,” Allen said. “Once we figure out how many people are going to use, it we may add more lines.” Gina Miori, vice president of ex ternal marketing and a junior speech communications major, said the MSC hotline can make the 26 MSC organizations more accessible. “I think that it has amazing po tential and will be a great promo tion tool since it is free to the stu dent body,” she said. The hotline menu contains three options including programs for the week, leadership opportu nities and services. Where's the beef? ■■l U. S. troops to receive anthrax inoculations «*) W mm® 1 ', JAMES FRANCIS/The Battalion Amber Boucher, a junior animal science major, unwraps a meat sample in the sensory kitchen in Kleberg. Boucher is participating in the National Beef Tender ness Survey. Cities from across the United States are sending in beef samples to be tested for tenderness. Notorious El Nino WASHINGTON (AP) — President Clinton said Tues day that Iraq “should be under no illusion” about the mean ing of a U.N. Security Council resolution warning of the “severest consqeuences” if Baghdad fails to allow free in spections. “It provides author ity to act,” the president said. Clinton issued his latest warning as the Pentagon stepped up plans to inoculate troops in the Persian Gulf against anthrax. The adminis tration also said it views the Security Council vote as a “green light” to attack Iraq if it fails to permit unlimited ac cess to weapons inspectors. “No promise of peace and no policy of patience can be without its limits,” Clinton said during an East Room ceremony about combating drunken driving. He said Monday’s vote sent a clear message to Iraq that it must allow inspections of suspect ed weapons sites “without obstruction or delay, any place, any time, without any conditions, deadlines or ex cuses.” “The government of Iraq should be under no illusion,” he said. “The meaning of ‘severest consequences’ is clear. It provides authority to act if Iraq does not turn the commitment it has made into compliance.” State Department spokesperson James R Rubin said the Security Council res olution adopted Monday that warns Iraq of the “severest consequences” was “the clearest possible threat to use Deadly bacteria Anthrax is a naturally occurring disease in plant-eating animals which can infect all warmblooded animals. The disease is caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. A PREFERRED BIOLOGICAL WEAPON Some facts ■ Highly lethal ■ Easy and cheap to produce in large quantities Rod-shaped spore found in soil How humans are infected a Through cuts in skin resulting from contact with infected animals B Breathing spores FI Eating infected HR meat mis-f. Source: DetenseLINK; AP research force that the Security Coun cil has taken since this crisis began last year.” Even the resolution adopted before the war against Iraq in 1991 did not explicitly call for using force to reverse the annexation of Kuwait, Rubin said. “The world is now sup porting a strong, clear threat that military force will ensue if Iraq violates this agreement, and that’s why we think this resolution was so important,” Rubin said. Defense Secretary William Cohen has decided that the 36,000 U.S. troops in the Gulf should undergo anthrax vac cinations starting this month Symptoms begin one to six days after exposure* ■ Fever } fatigue, cough ■ Breathing problems, sweating ■ Bluish skin tone ‘Virtually always results in death i Treatment jCf ■ Vaccination prior / [ to exposure ■ A ntihiotics immediately after exposure AP/S. Hoffmann, J. Kiafnzon as a “prudent action.” An thrax is a biological weapon that can kill so quickly that by the time any symptoms show up, it may be too late to treat victims. Also today, Marine Corps. Gen. Anthony Zinni, the U.S. commander in the Persian Gulf, told a Senate committee that U.S. forces, their morale high, remain ready to act if necessary. “They understand the mission and they are pre pared to do what it takes.” Saddam “will continue to test us and the international community,” Zinni told the Senate Armed Services Com mittee. “It is important to keep the noose tight.” Recent rains cause havoc for allergy sufferers LOS ANGELES (AP) — Califor nia’s El Nino rains have brought a bumper crop of allergy-producing mold and pollen, and people are suffering. Doctors’ waiting rooms are clogged with the sniffling, wheez ing and itchy-eyed. “I have patients who haven’t had allergy attacks for 15 years coming in with 10 days of horrible allergic symptoms,” Dr. Bernard Geller, a Santa Monica allergist, said Tuesday. “They have moun tains of tissues alongside their bed and are being chased out of the bedroom by their spouses because they are sneezing all day long.” Los Angeles had its wettest Feb ruary on record with 13.68 inches of rain, toppling the 1884 record of 13.37. The rain is stimulating the growth of mold, trees and grass. More misery lies ahead in the summer when weeds and flowers blossom. “It doesn’t take a rocket scien tist to see the incredibly green hill sides,” Geller said. He thinks rye grass planted to hold back mudslides in fire- scorched areas is a major culprit. He advises the allergy-afflicted to keep their windows closed and Mild winter Unseasonably mild temperatures in parts of the northern United States have hurt businesses dependent on cold and snow and given garden centers, paint stores and movie houses unexpectedly strong winter sales. A look at some of the topsy-turvy weather: Fairbanks, Alaska Temperatures are close to normal, but snowfall of 42 inches is nearly 10 inches below the median for this time of year. — Buffalo, N.Y. Snowfall is 50.3 inches so far this winter, about 28 inches below normal. February temperatures are about nine degrees above normal. Fargo, N.D. Snowfall of 37 inches below normal. But Wednesday, for example, temperatures averaged 41 degrees - 25 degrees above normal. — Hartford, Conn. The average low temperature in January was 26.4, compared to the normal 15.8. In February, the average low was nine degrees above the normal 18.6. Green Ba)t Wis. Snowfall about 33 inches, 16 inches below normal. Statewide, temperatures are eight to 10 degrees higher than normal this winter. Chicago In February, only a trace of snow fell, compared to the norm of 8.4 inches for that month. Noontime temperatures last week were near 60 making it one of the warmest Februaries ever. Gates says monopoly not his game at work put high-efficiency particle air fil ters in their bedrooms. Among his new patients is Dar lene Martin, 38, a registered nurse from Santa Monica whose asthma has spiraled out of control with the rains. “I’m having asthma attacks every night. Something in the air is making breathing more difficult,” she said. “I can get short of breath and I’m fit.” A series of allergy tests revealed she’s sensitive to several grasses and molds, which thrive in moisture. She is now taking five medications. WASHINGTON (AP) — Bill Gates, with competitors at his side and U.S. senators in his face, was forced to make his case Tuesday that Microsoft Corp. is not a mo nopoly out to crush rivals in the In ternet software market. The exploding software industry, he said during testimony on Capi tol Hill, is “an open economic op portunity for any entrepreneur in America.” But he got plenty of argu ment on that point. “Some are concerned that where there’s a lot of money to be made, or where competition could threaten Microsoft’s dominant po sition, Microsoft exploits its mo nopoly power — virtually guaran teeing that no one entrant has a realistic possibility of succeeding,” said Senate Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. Gates mounted a vigorous and spirited defense during a Senate Ju diciary hearing that stretched over 41/2 hours. The meeting was called to investigate competitive issues in the software industry, but it focused almost entirely on Microsoft. Besides fielding sharply word ed questions from Hatch and oth ers, Gates also was questioned by his fellow witnesses, the CEOs of rivals Sun Microsystems Inc. and Netscape Communications Corp. Netscape chief executive James Barksdale enlisted the audience’s help to challenge Gates’ view of the industry. He asked audience members to raise their hands if they had a per sonal computer at home or work. Several dozen did. He then asked them to keep their arms up if they were among those without a Mi crosoft Windows operating system. Only a handful remained. “Gentlemen, that’s a monop oly,” Barksdale said. Gates assert- ,>0*^ ^ ed that lower ^ prices and vastly $11 improved fea tures in com puter software ^ ^ are evidence of Gates an open and thriving market, not one beset by a monopoly. “Anybody who is doing great products in this business can do very, very well,” Gates said. Hatch quickly replied: “Well, Mr. Gates, not if there’s predatory pric ing. And not if there is improper, monopolistic control. “I point it out because, it isn’t just the business of selling software. It’s the business of selling it fairly,” the senator said. The appearance of Gates, the world’s richest man, packed the hearing room. Long lines of specta tors stretched outside through much of the proceedings.