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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (July 7, 1998)
WEATHER Today 1 ^. ■ mm. m mm li S I D E Aggielife ... see Page 3 Opinion ... see Page 5 IGH Tomorrow IGH rer* YEAR • ISSUE 165 " 8 PAGES TEXAS ASM UNIVERSITY - COLLEGE STATION - TEXAS Tomorrow Opinion: With Governor Bush’s recent decision, the death penalty has become a political tool not a crime deterrent. TUESDAY • JULY 7 • 1998 adet roundup 'orps uses summer to talk with parents, recruit incoming students By Sarah Goldston Staff Writer Wort; attr, packir,:! PaJ i tectiri adve; sthei ■> t’sat, oessesi heircq 'can’t Perot)] " ®' s sumrner the Corps of Cadets is 'bs o, to let incoming students know le b out the opportunities the organiza- atr«has for leadership and teamwork. 1 . fPdets Mike Rountree, a junior con- tnsivt notion science major, and Jeff Garri- theicM |uim>r pin l« >st >ph\ major, are part v - a recruiting team giving presenta- ettll ,ns at new student conferences and riest ound the state. pajor Glenn C. Burnside, assistant edirr cruiting coordinator, said the cadets ■ I >eak at Boys State and the Honors In- kood tational Program. They also address lucators, parents and prospective stu- ■s. Burnside said the cadets work ■hours with no pay. jladets put in an enormous amount Ime and effort," Burnside said. Mey provide parents and students I a lot of insight about the Corps." lyHe said the Corps relies on the en- uisiusm and efficiency of the hard- orking staff and student workers, ^■arrison said he and other cadets jiswer questions parents have about (Afferent activities and aspects of the He said many parents are con- jrned about hazing. ■There is no hazing in the Corps," .ountree said. "This is A&M; we don't LOthat trash." imp Garrison said they also talk to prospective students about experiences current cadets have had in the Corps. "One of the most important aspects of the Corps is the focus on grades," Garrison said. "I wouldn't have the GPA that I have without the influence of the Corps. Grades are why we are here at the University." There is no hazing in the Corps. This is A&M; we don’t do that trash.” — Mike Rountree Corps recruiter and junior construction science major Both cadets said the Corps provides an opportunity for students to make many friends. Garrison also said the Corps offers a number of extracurricular activities. The cadets do a number of recruit ing activities during the summer. They participate in the "Welcome to Ag- gieland" presentation which is present ed to all new students. Those who plan to participate in the Corps are divided into their specific ROTC groups. They are sized for uniforms and complete administrative paperwork. "Usually on the second day of the conferences during the lunch break, students have the opportunity to go by the resource tables set up in Duncan Dining Center," Burnside said. A week before school starts fresh men participate in Freshman Orienta tion Week. "During this week, freshmen who in tend to be in Corps go through a week of intense training, learning all the aspects of the Corps," Burnside said. Freshmen learn how to wear their uniforms, straighten their rooms and meet other people in the Corps. "The most valuable experience a freshman takes away from FOW is working as a team member towards common goals," Burnside said. "Freshmen will be able to utilize newly gained skills to enhance their success in the student's freshman year." Burnside said FOW is tine springboard to a student's entire freshman experience. He said freshmen make many friends during this week. "These students learn respect for each other," he said, "and they rely on each other. Photo By Mike Puentes / The Battalion New fish Brian Friedli learns about various medals from Corps of Cadets members (left to right) Frank Almaraz (C-l), a junior industrial distribution major, Lindy Lindemann (B-l), a sophomore forestry major, Bobby Robbins (B-l), a sophomore chemistry major and Mike Sharmer (G-l), a junior biomedical science major. alp I H !* i\ 1 MIKE FUENTES/The Battalion J.R LeCompte, a junior management major, swims to the hoop as Andy Vincent (right), a junior management major, and Chad Lee, a senior history major, go for the block. The three were playing a relaxing game of pool basketball after finals Monday at the Student Recreation Center. News Briefs hhhmhbrnmm mmmsmumm from staff and Web site offers legal opinions Texas Attorney General Dan Morales announced that his office's Web site now has archives of legal opinions. Over 9,500 rulings dating back 45 years will be available at http://www.oag.state.tx.us. More than 1 80,000 pages of legal documents are available in Adobe Ac robat format. In the next few months, Morales ex pects to have all opinions and decisions dating back to 1939. Cotton drought losses at $1.8 B Unrelenting hot, dry weather across the state continues to take its toll on Texas crops, slashing an estimated $500 million from cotton farmers and $1.8 bil lion from the economy, according to a Texas Agricultural Extension Service economist. The estimated losses, which will climb even higher if sufficient rain doesn't fall, have surpassed the 1996 levels when agriculture last felt the impact of severe drought, Carl Anderson, Extension cot ton marketing economist, said. Cotton farmers that year took a $359 million loss that translated into a $1.2 bil lion cut to the state's overall economy. Expected cotton losses this year have more than tripled in the two weeks mmmmmM wire reports since the Extension Service released its first drought impact for 1 998, estimat ing the loss to cotton farmers then to be $157 million. According to the Texas Water Devel opment Board, practically the entire state is experiencing a severe to ex treme drought, with crop moisture deficits of at least 4 inches, and condi tions are expected to continue at least through August. CVEN department head named John M. Niedzwecki is the new de partment head of the civil engineering department. Niedzwecki, who holds the Wofford Cain Professorship in Offshore Technol ogy, had served as interim department head since August 1997 when distin guished professor Dr. Ignacio Ro- driguez-lturbe returned to full-time teaching and research. At Texas A&M since 1 978, Niedzwec ki specializes in offshore platforms and coastal structures. He has worked extensively with the Offshore Technology Research Center and leads their fluid/structure interac tion research area. He was awarded his Ph.D. degree from the Catholic University of America in 1977. Niedzwecki received his master's de gree and two bachelor of science de grees from Boston University. lorida fire victims allowed to return home JBUNNELL, Fla. (AP) — With fire- liters gaining ground, Flagler Lnty's more than 40,000 residents | the go-ahead to return home yes- pay, and authorities said all but a ■idful of the county's houses had es- ■ed damage. IFire crews had contained the Izes that forced the evacuation of I entire county on Friday, though | threat of flare-ups remained. jOffidals had previously feared tot four fires in the county would kge and bum all the way to the At- 'tic Ocean. "We are pleased the tide has tied to some extent, at least tem- farily" Lt. Coy. Buddy MacKay |d in Tallahassee. About 97 percent of the houses in l gler County escaped the fires, Sher- Robert McCarthy said. About 40 to homes were damaged or de- yed, but officials were still check- ? to get a firmer count. Some 49,000 acres of the county had been charred. Among the unlucky ones were Beatrice and Gerald Snyder, who have been married for 47 years. Their home in Bunnell was destroyed. "As wonderful as FEMA (the Fed eral Emergency Management Agency) has been, that isn't going to bring back 47 years of stuff," she said. In Washington today, the White House announced that President Qin- ton would visit Volusia County, an other hard-hit county, on Thursday to survey damage. Temperatures today were fore cast to rise to near 100 degrees, the high on Sunday afternoon. Isolated severe thunderstorms were forecast this afternoon and evening, with 1 to 2 inches of rain possible, emer gency officials have said it will take more than 10 inches of rain to ex tinguish the flames. There is a 50 percent chance of more rain the rest of this week but a storm building in the Caribbean is not likely to reach the area. Although officials said the fires that have ravaged northeastern Flori da for more than a month ebbed in in tensity Sunday, there were scattered flare-ups. Plumes of smoke lined the sky for miles, and flames dotted many stretches of woods. The fires have covered more than 474,464 acres since Memorial Day. State officials estimate that more than 2,000 fires have damaged or destroyed 301 homes and other structures and injured more than 100 people, many of them firefighters. Only one death has been reported, an elderly man who suffered a heart attack Friday while being moved from a nursing home. "We think it's miraculous there hasn't been more deaths," MacKay said. The cost of fighting the fires has topped $116 million and losses are estimated at $276 million. The federal government has contributed $66 million. The damage has been concentrat ed in three counties along the Atlantic coast, from St. Augustine south to near the Kennedy Space Center. More than 100,000 people fled their homes, but all evacuation orders have been lifted. The Florida Highway Patrol said several roads closed because of the fires would be reopened for returning Flagler County residents. However, a 100-mile section of In terstate 95 from near Jacksonville to Cocoa Beach remained close. Within an hour after the Flagler County evacuation order was lift ed, traffic on Route 1 appeared nor mal again. At the Bunnell Thrift way, the city's only supermarket, manager Tom Hubbard prepared for an inundation. "People will be needing the staples of life," he said. "They'll go home and look in their refrigerator and see the milk is out of date." ALA. GA. Jacksonville Florida FIRES: Nearly 2,000 since May 25. DAMAGE: More than 458,200 acres and nearly 200 homes burned. FLAGLER Ormond Beach Daytona Beach VOLUSIA Titusville BREVARD INJURIES: 100. One death evacuations : Mandatory evacuation order lifted Monday for Flagler County's more than 40,000 residents. Mandatory evacuation orders also lifted in Brevard County and most of Volusia County. COST: $276 million in damages and $110 to fight the fires. June rainfallD percent of normal drought amount Severe, less than 20 percent Moderate, 20-60 percent □ Slight, 60-80 percent Miami Source: Florida Division of Forestry, Accu-Weather, State and federal officials AP