ESTHER
Today
Tomorrow
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■ 11 hr Opinion ...see Page 5
TOMORROW
Aggielife:
Brazos Valley Animal
Shelter helps students
turn unwanted animals
into lifelong friends.
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TEXAS ASM UNIVERSITY - COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
WEDNESDAY • JUNE 10 • 1998
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Out
Service
Story by
Amber Benson
Photos by
Ryan Rogers
Twin City Mission
is just one charity
organization in the
Brazos Valley
suffering a loss of
volunteers with the
onset of summer.
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Non-profit organizations lose human resources when Aggies leave between semesters
B y the time heat and humidity takes its toll
on Bryan-College Station most Texas A&M
students have already taken off. But as the
student body leaves behind their books and re
sponsibilities, they also leave behind a communi-
I ty, a community whose needs are often fulfilled
by student volunteers.
Carla Piedrahita, director of health education
and staff development for Brazos Valley Commu
nity Health Services, which runs AIDS Services and
Elder Aid, said her organization finds itself in need
of manpower when summer rolls around.
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Michael Braggs,a resident of the mission since last Wednesday, relaxes while watching TV. Currently
employed, Braggs is only residing at Twin City Mission until he finds a permanent place to live.
"The first weeks of summer are always diffi
cult," Piedrahita said. "Because so much of what
we do is outreach, we can't get things done with
out the volunteers."
Mark Weedon, director of programs at Twin
City Mission in Bryan, agreed.
"The loss of students affects us heavily," Wee
don said. "Not only do our volunteer hours drop,
but there are no students to shop in our resale
store - that's a large source of our income."
Twin City Mission is also the recipient of
thousands of dollars of fundraising money from
Greek and other student organizations through
out the year.
Although the mission does not rely on that
money, it is missed when students pack up for the
summer.
Piedrahita said opportunities for outreach ac
tually increase during the summer months.
"More people are hanging around on the
streets," she said. "There are more chances to ap
proach people about their health decisions."
Both Weedon and Piedrahita said that a fear of
the unknown often keeps people from volunteer
ing their time.
While programs such as Phoebe's Home, a
shelter for victims of domestic violence, draw a
steady stream of volunteers, other programs have
a more difficult time.
"Lots of people have a soft spot for women and
children," Weedon said. "It's much more difficult
to get people to volunteer at the homeless shel
ter."
Weedon said students often have stereotypical
ideas of why people are at homeless shelters.
"Homeless people are just people who have
lost their support system," Weedon said,
"but they have the same kinds of needs, wants
and desires as everybody else."
While BVCHS has positions open for people
with medical backgrounds, both they and Twin
City Mission accept volunteers without any pre
vious volunteer experience.
"You don't have to know much to know how
to help somebody," Weedon said .
WANT TO HELP?
• Brazos Valley Community Health
Services will be having a meeting
June 11 at 6 p.m. for new volunteers
at their headquarters in the
Sunnyland Shopping Center at
1702B South Texas Ave, Suite 202.
Opportunities are available for
volunteers interested in medicine, as
well as general volunteers.
• Twin City Mission is located at 500
Main Street in Bryan.
Volunteers can contact the mission at
822-7511.
'’Music festival features
hssian conductor
By Shatera Kennedy
Staff Writer
not*' or y our listening pleasure, the Texas A&M College of Liberal Arts
Ind the Music Program in cooperation with the University of Hous-
Moores School of Music present the 1998 Texas Musical Festival
|ncerts for the month of June.
he summer programs include chamber music performances on
nday evenings (June 15, 22, 29) and the gala appearance of the Fes-
[al Orchestra on Friday, June 12.
The highlight of the festival is the appearance of the famous Russ-
b conductor Maxim Shostakovich with English cello soloist
Icholas Jones on June 12.
JShostakovich is expected to conduct the orchestra in his father's,
1,1 E late Dimitri Shostakovich, "Introduction to the Age of Gold Op.
1” on Friday.
r Other performances include violist Karen Ritschen and cellist La-
Varga who have selected favorite works that will emphasize their
Jecific artistry.
The orchestra members are students from around the country
to auditioned for a chance to study under the internationally
iown artists.
General admission for individual concerts is $10 for adults, $8 for
nior citizens (65+) and $5 for students.
Season tickets can also be purchased providing an opportunity to
Tive shows for the price of four.
All tickets may be purchased at the Rudder MSG Box Office or by
'one at 845-1234.
Parking is available in the University Center Parking Center
rage.
Rudder Theater is handicapped accessible.
MSC Visual Arts plans museum field trip
By Patrick Peabody
Staff Writer
On June 13, the MSC Visual Arts Committee is
hosting a tour of San Antonio's Art Museums.
This tour is open to all students and non-students.
The tour will leave at 8:30 a.m. on June 13,
and return to College Station at 7:30 p.m. The
McNay Art Museum and the San Antonio Mu
seum of Art.
Participants wi 11 be able to view all types of art,
from all different time periods. There will also be
many 19th and 20th century decorative pieces.
There will also be a number of antiquities on dis
play at the museums.
When asked why this trip was held during the
summer, a representative of the Visual Arts Com
mittee commented that students usually have
more flexible hours during the summer, and are
more likely to want to go, than if it was during the
spring or fall semesters.
The cost of this trip is $10 for students and $20
for non-student participants. For students $8
must be paid at sign-up and bring $2 with them
on the trip for admission. Non-students must pay
$16 and bring $4 with them for their admission.
committee
News Briefs
Transportation for the trip will be in vans,
with 12 students to a van.
Tomorrow is the last day to sign up for
this trip. There are only six people signed up
for the trip so far, and at least 12 people are
needed.
The Visual Arts Committee does not un
derstand the low turnout of interest in this
summer's trip.
In years past there has been a much larger
turnout of interest, mostly for students, but
this summer a majority of the six participants
are non-students.
Those interested in signing up for the trip
should go to the Forsythe Gallery across from
the U.S. Post Office in the MSC, and sign up
with Sheila Thornton, the registrar.
"It will be an educational and cultural trip
and we'll have a blast," Thornton said when
asked what she thought of the trip.
Architecture professor
receives preservation award
David G. Woodcock, professor of architecture and Historic Resources
Imaging Laboratory Director at Texas A&M, received the 1998 Truett
Latimer Professional Award.
The award was presented to Woodcock by Preservation Texas Inc. at
the annual meeting of the Texas Historical Commission held earlier this
year in El Paso.
Woodcock was honored for outstanding commitment to preserva
tion in teaching, research and service.
Theoretical physics director
awarded for research on lasers
Marian O. Scully, director of Center for Theoretical Physics and
the Institute of Quantum Studies at Texas A&M, received the 1998
Charles Hard Townes Award.
Scully's award is based on work expanding on his previously
formed theory on the laser, including his role in laying the theo
retical foundation for laser science, free electron lasers and lasers
without inversion.
The Charles Hard Townes Award was established in 1981.