The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, May 04, 1998, Image 1
Texas A & M University % |104 TH YEAR • ISSUE 140 • 10 PAGES vith CD kes and with -1981 |an Ho^ aetles )rdin[ daw, i I usedb ' deals: 0* 86 60 TODAY TOMORROW COLLEGE STATION • TX MONDAY* MAY 4 *1998 Garage squeaks by In large election-day turnout, voters authorize city council to build Northgate parking facility By Colleen Kavanagh Staff writer College Station voters gave the city council the authority to proceed with plans for a Northgate parking garage Sat urday in the second-largest voter turnout since 1971. Voters defeated an ordi nance limiting the city coun cil from extending, using, lending or granting funds for the development or construc tion of a public parking garage at Northgate. The or dinance was rejected 1,947 votes to 1,894. The proposed four-story, 752-space garage would be located on 1.65 acres between College Main and Second Street that the city of College Station would acquire. The estimated cost of the garage is $6,807,639. The city council will decide how to fund the project before the garage can be built. Mayor Lynn Mclllhaney said the newly-elected city council members will be brought up to speed as to what the council has done so far. “We want new council members and returning members on the same page,” she said. "We had started ne gotiations for the land, but when the petition hit, we put everything on the back burn er until the vote.” Mcllhaney said she appre ciates both sides’ work to make sure the community understood the ordinance. "We know parking has been a problem for 20 years,” she said. “Now, we have the authority to work with a vari ety of plans for a solution.” In other election results: • Mclllhaney won re-elec tion to a second term, receiv ing 67 percent of the total votes cast. • Ron Silvia won Place 2 on the College Station City Coun- cil with 42 percent of the votes, defeating three candidates. • Anne Hazen defeated in cumbent Dick Birdwell for the Place 6 seat on the College Station City Council. • Councilman Larry Mari- ott won the Place 4 seat on the College Station City Council, receiving 60 percent of the vote. Election Results •Lynn Mclllhaney wins re-election as College Station mayor. •Ron Silvia wins Place ! 2 on city council. •Anne Hazen wins Place 6 on City Council. • Larry Mariott wins re-election to Place 4 on City Council. • Ordinance restricting Northgate garage loses by small margin. Debit card creates chaos for students DENTON (AP) — Parents of high school students across Texas have re ceived letters making available for $25 a debit card that purportedly is required to receive discounts on books and meals at colleges across the United States. Officials of several universities in Texas say it sounds like a rip-off to them. And several national card companies are issuing disclaimers to make it clear they’re not associated with “The Campus Card,” promoted by a for-profit New Jer sey company, the National College Regis tration Board (NCRB). Literature from the NCRB to 1.5 million high school seniors nationally said the $25 cards are “essential for college life.” According to an April 8 letter, signed by Wade M. Stewart, national director of the NCRB, universities not only will accept that card, but require it. The letter advised students to send the company a "one-time $25 card fee” by May 15 so an account can be established for students’ fall expenses. The promotional materials claim that students can use the card for substantial discounts on textbooks, food, laundry, dry cleaning and other services. It also claims the card can be used “to pay for all your living needs while on campus.” “I think that there might be the possi bility that there has been some mislead ing information provided by NCRB,” said Andy Bland, manager of electronic data processing services for the Texas A&M fis cal department. He said Texas A&M has its own student ID card, which includes a debit card op tion. The official A&M ID card and the Campus Card “are two different animals,” he said. “Using the Campus Card at A&M would be similar to using a gasoline card at a department store,” Bland told the Denton Record-Chronicle. The Campus Card won’t be accepted on the A&M cam pus, he added. it's a Cinch S’i& RYAN ROGERS/The Battalion Jason Tyner, a junior centerfielder for the Aggie Baseball Team, autographs a photo for Kristen Fleeger, a first grader at Brazos Christian School. Kristen and her father waited outside Olsen Field to greet the team as they returned home from Sunday’s game against Baylor in Waco. With the se ries victory over the Bears, the Aggies have clinched the Big 12 Championship and will receive the first seed spot in the Big 12 Tournament May 14 - 17 in Oklahoma City. Although the team lost Sunday’s game, the 8-1 win Friday at Olsen Field and the 8-4 win in Waco guaranteed the championship to the Aggies who are 21-9 in conference play. Please see full coverage of this weekend’s baseball action on page 5. Building Bridges Annual conference educates students about alcohol and substance abuse Vews By Kelly Hack worth Staff writer Building Bridges ’98 marks the fourth annual conference sponsored by the Regional Addictions Institute of the Brazos Valley Council on Alco hol & Substance Abuse (BVCASA). The two-day conference, begin ning 8:30 a.m. May 7 at Reed Arena, is a community education event co sponsored by the Student Life Alco hol and Drug Education program at Texas A&M University. The confer ence includes 19 speakers in the ar eas of substance abuse, multicultural education and work with at-risk youth. The reduced- atten dance cost for A&M students is $49. Mark Scharen- broich, a nationally known speaker and author, will present the “Uncommon Educator.” Rebecca Wood, conference coor dinator and BVCASA education in tervention specialist, said the con ference is the only major conference of its kind in the area and gives par ticipants 13 hours of continuing ed ucation credit. “It is good for those in this pro fession to network and share ideas,” she said. Cindy Mathieu, a first-time pre senter and a doctoral student in coun seling psychology at A&M, will pre- Briefs RHA installs 1998-99 officers at meeting sent “Factors Related to Adolescent Substance Abuse” at the conference. “I will be dying to get across red flags, things associated with adoles cent substance abuse,” she said. “Adolescents have a rocky time try ing to find their racial, sexual and ethnic identities, and this can lead to drug and alcohol abuse.” Christa Noland, BVCASA educa tion intervention specialist, said the conference will be especially bene ficial to students who are interested in counseling'and teaching. Dr. Dennis Reardon, co ordinator of the A&M alco hol and drug education programs, said the con ference is also beneficial to students who have an inter est in alcohol or drug abuse issues. Stu dents in the alcohol and drug edu cation field can also gain from at tending the conference. “It’s a great opportunity for stu dents in the alcohol and drug edu cation field to further educate them selves and network with people currently in the field about the chal lenges those working in alcohol and drug abuse are faced with,” he said. Students interested in attending the conference are encouraged to contact Rebecca Wood at 776-7070. INSIDE “I will be trying to get across red Bags, things associated with adolescent substance abuse.” Cindy Mathieu Doctoral student Student files suit, luickly reinstated ATexas A&M University graduate tudent filed a lawsuit against JxasA&M and got her job back the ame day. the lawsuit, Michele Stephen- on accuses Robert Maggio, her oss and the previous director of the lapping Sciences Laboratory of the sxas Agricultural Experiment Sta- on, of firing her for cooperating with ^investigations against Maggio. Stephenson was fired in mid-April, lerattorney, Phil Banks, said Texas &M University officials offered her 'ejob back an hour later. A University audit released on Pril 7 accuses Maggio of misappro- fiating at least $4,000 in state Jodsand over $100,000 in equip ment and personnel funds related to “spersonal businesses. Class schedule changes this week Vith the approaching week of fi- i,Texas A&M University has rede- 'Pedthis week’s class schedule. Classes that normally meet on Fri- tywill meet this Tuesday to accom modate for the Good Friday reading day. This Wednesday and Thursday will reading days. By Amanda Smith Staff writer The Residence Hall Association (RHA) officers for the 1998-99 aca demic year took their posts official ly at the meeting last Wednesday night with their eyes cast towards improving life for next year’s on- campus residents. The RHA officers for 1998-99 were all elected unopposed in the spring student body elections by on-campus residents. Michael Haughey, former RHA vice president for programs and a junior mechanical engineering ma jor, will serve as the organization’s president next year. “RHA is there for the halls,” Haughey said. “I’d like to work with the halls more one on one, and then get the halls to work with each oth er. The residence halls offer a com munity to the residents.” Caton Brown, a junior civil engi neering major, said he is looking forward to serving the residents as vice president for programs. “RHA has the potential to be one of the strongest organizations on campus,” Brown said. “This organi zation has a lot of potential that hasn’t been tapped yet.” As vice president for adminis tration, Brown oversees Freshman Leaders In Progress (FLIP), RHA Casino Night ’99 and service and social programming on the board of directors. Mike Trachta, former director of technology on the RHA executive board and a sophomore computer engineering major, will serve as the vice president for administration. “I want to increase the visibility of RF1A,” Trachta said. “A lot of peo ple are impacted by RHA.” All students living on campus automatically qualify for member ship in RHA. Two of the officer positions will be held by students who are cur rently freshmen. Amanda Albritton, a freshman agricultural development major, said she looks forward to continu ing her work with RHA as vice pres ident for operations. “I want to work on getting inputs from the students, and I would like to publicize more and let them know what we can do for them,” Albritton said. “We would like to see more programming within the halls next year.” Albritton said that increasing co- programming between the halls and facilitating hall leadership training are among her top priori ties for efforts in the fall. The vice president for operations hHa TAIVIl/ President: Vice presidents: Michael Haughey Caton Brown Mike Trachta Amanda Albritton Jul ie Casfyj j In He Got Game, Denzel Washington leads the cast as the father of a young basketball player. See Page 3 oversees financial development, fa cilities and operations and training and technology. As vice president for relations and a freshman marketing major, Julie Cast said she wants to use her position to help improve RHA. The vice president for relations oversees operations by the External Affairs and Public Relations and Publications Committees. Cast said that one of the events that she is looking forward to the TRHA ’99 conference that Texas A&M will host in the spring of next year. “The conference is going to be a great way for us show off and to ex pose Texas A&M (to other universi ties),” Cast said. “It’s going to be an opportunity for universities to share leadership skills and ideas with one anodier.” S-'. .y'. -.WrF&fy Aggies capture Big 12 title with series victory over Baylor Bears. See Page 5 Mireles: America says ‘good bye’ to “Seinfeld” and the ability to laugh at nothing. See Page 9 iiiiiin i iHpr r ' i 'i iiiiiimill i http://battalion, taxrm.edu Hook up with state and na tional news through The Wire, AP’s 24-hour online news service.