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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (April 9, 1998)
c'sday •Aptii! , Texas A Si M University Mkit mmm YEAR • ISSUE 124 • 10 PAGES COLLEGE STATION • TX S3 W083 46 1 j54 TODAY TOMORROW THURSDAY • APRIL 9 • 1998 Briefs ubent leaders to chosen tonight student body president and itudent leader positions will tiounced tonight at 10 p.m. in M§t the Sul Ross statue. Students may cast their ballots ayln the second and final day ifjrlff elections. ^Jdents can vote from 9:00 .to 5:00 p.m. in the Commons, SC, Sterling C. Evans Library, tudent Recreation Center, [r, Kleberg, Zachry, Blocker, joining Hall and Duncan Din- lll. f : Goodrich seeking yaward inventors •ntiies currently are being ■ for the 1998 BF Goodrich ate Inventors Program, program recognizes and re ds ull-time college students (un- graduate, graduate and post- nHal) and faculty members H innovations, discoveries and eatch are deemed the year’s , st( utstanding. Up o six student/advisor teams ‘awarded cash prizes totaling up ■p,000. Students may enter as 3 shark'sbrar ividuals or teams. ft invention, idea or process Btted must be an original idea fte work of a student or team ■■■■■■Min advisor. / AKE SCHRICKUNG fice is here to ou. Please feel ) come by 10th Rudder Toweroi 15-4728 " L< WED Apr 15 CH 11, 12 PW TES' INSIDE WED Apr 15 THU Apr^ _J0 STAT0. We've been LINE Ajj A&M makes tracks to relocate rails By Colleen Kavanagh StaffWriter Tom Williams, director of Parking, Traffic and Transportation Services (PTTS), waited 45 minutes for a train that was stopped on Wellborn Road. While he was waiting, he saw students crossing between cars. “I took pictures of the students crossing through cars,” he said. “We can use them as graphic illustrations of the danger of the rail road on campus.” Williams said the real solution is to move the railroad off campus. “I sympathize with the students trying to get to class,” he said, “but having trains cross through campus is so dangerous.” Williams said another safety concern is the possibility of a derailment. “A couple of weeks ago, the lights were flashing on George Bush (Drive) early in the morning,” he said. “There was no train, so maintenance went there to see what was wrong. A rail was cracked and had shorted out the system. If a train had come by, there would have been a derailment." The Bryan-College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) voted unani mously last week to continue a railroad reloca tion study. A&M initiated the study, approved by both the Bryan and College Station City Councils, in an attempt to find a way to reduce the number of rail crossings through campus. MPO is an organization of federal trans portation groups set up around the United States designed to coordinate transporta tion planning. Mike Parks, MPO director, said Union Pa cific Railroad (UP) has indicated that there will be an increase locally from 24 trains to 45 per day. “The feeling now is to solve the problem before that happens,” he said. “The more we wait, the harder the solution is. MPO is pro viding a forum open for discussion of what each jurisdiction needs and what the com munity wants.” Parks said that because of a six-year transportation bill Congress is reviewing right now and because of recent railroad mergers, now is the perfect time to start working on the relocation. “The only railroad we have to discuss things with is Union Pacific,” he said. “The bill in Congress could help the funding of a relo cation project. Union Pacific and A&M have both pledged money for the project, but no one can pay for it all. Both things have made a window of opportunity.” The estimated cost of the railroad reloca tion is $75 million. Steve Roop, director of rail research for the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), said the bill addresses railroad and highway safety funding as well as money for trial projects. “This is potential money for a railroad re location,” he said. TTI was hired by A&M to look at the histo ry of efforts to move the railroad, provide in formation on possible options and establish what seems to be feasible. Parks said the main reason A&M initiated the study was concern for the safety of peo ple crossing the tracks. “Many times, when you mix flesh and met al, the metal ends up winning,” he said. Parks said two options are being consid ered right now — moving the railroad to an SPECIAL TO THE BATTALION Not even a parked train can stop students in a hurry to get to west campus for class. undetermined area along the Brazos River or moving the railroad underground, but other options may be considered. Please see Tracks on Page 6. ipUdging is based on originality, ftlness and significance of the \ f I\ lention/discovery. |An issued patent is not required ■’ticipate and this is not con- ered a public disclosure, ice President la Vlrticipants are strongly encour- nt Affairs Office Mi however, to begin the process you to be aware ■ )tectin £ their discovery. Dead- open door Entries is June 2. jral arts: Alumnus lored for 1998 ■rrence A. Larsen of Philadel- af Pa., chairman, president and ef executive officer of CoreStates /psa.tamu.edu CTcial Corp., was honored re- iy as the 1998 outstanding — iius in the Texas A&M Universi- c|llege of Liberal Arts. Jarsen, who earned a bachelor Jts degree from the University ^Dallas and a doctorate in eco- 3ntics from Texas A&M, was rec- ^jtstanding alumnus award given Be college. Poetry reading, writers’ clubs keep spirit of creativity alive at A&M. See Page 3 A&M Men’s Tennis m begins weekend road at Nebraska. See Page 7 i: Finding one’s inner Id offers valuable tips for It life. See Page 9 tp: //battalion, tamu.edu up with state and na- nal news through The re.AP’s 24-hour online ws service. All in a day’s work GREG MCREYNOLDS/The Battalion Carrie Lowe, a senior animal science major, palpates a cow in Reproduction in Farm Animals. iyags.com jiized March 27 during the Liber- --Arts Development. Council’s spring banquet held at Apfjfeush Presidential Conference ler. iarsen’s selection was the first Senator fumes over med school LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — The way Texas Tech funds its medical school in El Paso is inequitable, especially considering the re sources allocated to the system’s home base in Lubbock, an El Paso state senator said. State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh said that it’s not fair that the Tech Health Sciences Cen ter in El Paso has a $55.7 million budget and the Lubbock HSC receives $133.9 mil lion, even though they both have about 175 medical residents. “If you scrutinize the budget, the re sources necessary to support the campus are not nearly what they should be,” said Shapleigh, a Democrat. The Lubbock school, where the four- cam pus Tech medical school system is based, has 1,301 employees, compared to 465 for El Paso. Even so, Shapleigh said the El Paso school needs a bigger piece of the pie. “We are a substantial economic factor in El Paso,” said Tech Chancellor John T. Montford. “This is simply a turf war, and this group (Shapleigh’s faction) resents the things that are going on. They feel (the school) should be autonomous. I’m sur prised they haven’t sought statehood.” Shapleigh said autonomy is exactly what he’s looking for. Shapleigh criticized Tech regents for not supporting El Paso when funding is al located in Austin. While he said the entire Tech system, which also includes Odessa and Amarillo, is underfunded, El Paso seems to really be getting the short shrift. Montford countered that the answer ultimately is up to Shapleigh and his leg islative counterparts. “The Legislature’s in a position to do something about this problem,” Montford said. “We’re already in (El Paso). Why beat up on us?” Others in El Paso have suggested switch ing affiliations to the University of Texas, though Shapleigh wouldn’t go that far. Lawmaker urges execution option AUSTIN (AP) —A state lawmaker who proposes allowing 11- year-olds to be sentenced to death for capital murder said Wednesday those bound for execution should be held in juvenile facilities until the sentence would be carried out — at age 17. “In no way do I want an 11-, 12-, 13-year-old kid in aTDC (Texas Department of Corrections) facility, even if they’re waiting for death row,” said Rep. Jim Pitts, R-Waxahachie. TDC is the former name for the adult prison system. Pitts said he was concerned about children being placed in a fa cility with adult “hardened criminals.” “I don’t want them to be taken advantage of,” he said, and sug gested, “Maybe we ought to have some type of facility like death row” for such juveniles. Pitts, who made the proposal concerning capital murder in the wake of the Jonesboro, Ark. schoolyard shootings, stressed that he would expect an execution to be sought only rarely for young defendants. He emphasized the idea simply would be an option for lo cal prosecutors and judges. Under his proposal, someone as young as 11 who is con victed of capital murder could face either life without parole or the death penalty. Clinton falls under Gingrich's scrutiny WASHINGTON (AP) —Anticipating a report from Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr, House Speaker Newt Gingrich recently tapped a freshman Republican to review the multiple congression al hearings on alleged Clinton administration wrongdoing. Rep. James Rogan of California, a former judge, will research what has gone well for Republicans who ran those hearings and what pitfalls to avoid in the future. He learned of his new task in calls from Gingrich’s office and the office of House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde, R-Ill. But Gingrich himself informed the public about Rogan’s as signment, disclosing it in a newspaper interview that appeared the next morning. This episode underscores Gingrich’s personal involvement in preparations for what many Republicans believe is heading their way as soon as next month: a politically explosive report by Starr detailing evidence of possible impeachable offenses by President Clinton. Thus far, the Georgia Republican says, the issue takes per haps an hour of his time a week — a small fraction of what he estimates is a 90-hour workweek. Even some Republicans see a potential political negative to Gingrich’s involvement. He’s been a handy target for Democrats in the past and would be a logical one again, if the White House and its allies accuse the GOP of mounting a political attack on a popular president. Memories Chemistry department to honor late professor By Rachel Dawley StaffWriter The Texas A&M Department of Chemistry will host a memorial service for Nobel Prize winner and distinguished professor Sir Derek H.R. Barton on Monday, April 13, at 10 a.m. in Rudder Theater. Barton, a professor of chemistry at A&M, died on March 16 of heart failure. Barton received the Nobel Prize in 1969 and held the Dow Chair of Chemical Inventions for his contributions to the field of chemistry. Dr. Emile A. Schweikert, head of the chemistry department, said Barton will be remembered for his contributions to the field of chemistry and his devotion to the university. “Dr. Barton was a very good friend of Texas A&M,” Schweikert said. “He helped the depart ment spread the word about the University and the quality of our programs.” Schweikert said Barton appreciated the “qual ity of the chemistry program, services, students and colleagues at A&M.” “Barton liked being a part of the A&M campus,” Schweikert said. “He was a friend to many, and his ex perience and outlook made him a valued individual.” Karen Farnsworth, Barton’s staff assistant for the past seven years, said Barton was a “perfect gentlemen” and was well-liked and respected at the University. “Dr. Barton’s door was always open to students and anyone who had questions,” Farnsworth said. “He spoke to everyone and was always very down- to-earth.” Barton was born in the United Kingdom in 1918 and graduated from London’s Imperial College. Hi was ;i il ieild t:o many, and Ills experience and out look made- Itiui a valued mdividitak Df. I mil<‘ A \< hwelMa t Ht&id, Department of C hemhiry Dr. Barton worked in military intelligence dur ing World War II and after a brief period in indus try, joined the faculty of Imperial College. During a sabbatical leave at Harvard in 1950, he wrote a paper of conformational analysis which won him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Barton shared the Nobel Prize with Norwegian chemist, Odd Hassel. The paper, only four pages long, changed the two-dimensional view of structure by adding a third-dimension to chemistry, altering the way chemists thought about the shape and reactivity of molecules. Barton returned to the United Kingdom and held Chairs of Chemistry at Birkbeck College and Glasgow University before returning to Imperial College in 1957. During his time at Imperial College, he devel oped a synthesis of steroid hormones. Barton became Director of the Natural Prod ucts Institute in France in 1978, where he studied the invention of new chemical reactions. Barton came to the A&M chemistry depart ment in 1986 and continued his work on novel re actions involving the oxidations of hydrocarbons. Barton authored over 1,000 papers in chemical journals, and held many successful patents. In addition to the Nobel Prize, Barton received numerous honors and awards including they Davy, Copley, and Royal medals of the Royal Soci ety of London, the Roger Adams and Priestley Medals of the American Chemical Society. Barton was knighted by Queen Elizabeth in 1972 and received the Legion of Honor from France.
