> THE ONE diva Shania Twain in Reed Arena IFE, PAGE 3 FEEDING MINDS • New food court exploits negative racial stereotypes, shows close-mindedness. OPINION, PAGE 15 CHECK OUT THE BATTALION ON-LINE h ttp://battalion, tamu. edu WEDNESDAY September 9, 1998 Defer: Drivr wilti Punch]; (Onfy $25 vr 4D SATURDAY C ■ockal on Solve: sol/insurcmcei obby Bermha- : //www2.cy-nr -RlN (77; enks used BAG kicks off semester with Nu House event rotect Nailone lines Ser\ ices BY BETH MILLER Ms S13 The Battalion idea of nitrogen being d into the ground beneath \&M has the potential to uneasiness in students, er, A&M experts from sev- dds have reassured that a is not necessary. * H. he area near the power sun, s \( nd Sterling C. Evans Li- s , y i ]| j ,.. v n the central and northern )f campus, lie two com- u ' nitrogen tanks under the zation of the Telecommu- ns Office. The tanks are ng higldy pressured nitro- he telephone line conduit 'g underground. conduit, containing a umber of wires, is dam- _ . ’he nitrogen is temporari- U^D-CHtcing the lost pressure usu- iCed on the wires by the t. The nitrogen serves to oisture off the wires, Walt liscount. i. (6 p.m.-9p.f ipr ssen, associate director of nmunications, said. ;nuss|n said the leak was ied a()proximately two ago tie said the damage used by the ground shift- d repairs may include re- the conduit. presence of chemicals un- h pressure could raise safe- health questions, but Mag- along with A&M health have suppressed concerns, jnussen said the tanks are >red by alarms activated he nitrogen is released. |t Reed, associate director for services, said there is no or health concerns because qosphere around the Earth y 80 percent nitrogen, y garment Li’re breathing it all the o 1 don’t know why there » be a concern, to be hon- eed said. ue jeans MIKE FUENTESAI m Battalion tanks like this one on Na- being used to protect ; ound phone conduits. BY MEGAN WRIGHT The Battalion The MSC Black Awareness Committee (BAG), which is cur rently celebrating its 30th an niversary, commenced the fall se mester by hosting Nu House last night in Rudder Forum. Nu House showcased minority student organizations available to students at Texas A&M. With approximately 200 peo ple in attendance, the program hosted 24 different student groups, including sororities, fra ternities, academic organizations, major-related clubs, and religious organizations. The program was introduced by Joel Garrett, chair of BAG and closing remarks were given by Deidra Crawford, advisor to the Texas A&M University National Pan-Hellenic Council. Valerie Edwards, a senior jour nalism major and director of mar keting for BAC, said she felt Nu House gave students a better look at what is available on campus. “People sometimes get lost in the shuffle at the (MSC) Open House, especially minority stu dents,†Edwards said. “This was a way to broadcast the potential opportunities that are available here. It helps any interest ed student become more aware. †Senate considers safety on Northgate, discrimination bills see Tanks on Page 11. BY AMANDA SMITH The Battalion The 51st session of the Student Senate will convene for the fall se mester tonight to consider bills ranging from helping the Child Care Center to monitoring student safety in the Northgate area. Amy Magee, speaker of the Stu dent Senate and a senior psycholo gy major, said she hopes to see good communication within the commit tees and on the Senate floor. “Our big goals are to make sure that we have good communication internally and externally,†McGee said. “We want to make sure we are knowledgeable and proactive to work with the students well.†The Senate will hear a resolu tion to consider further investiga tion into the complaints from stu dents regarding alleged racial harassment occurring in the Northgate area. They will also consider a bill to look into the need for increased police protection in Northgate. An “Adopt a Future Aggie†pro gram bill will be heard to consider developing a program to provide fi nancial assistance for the Texas A&M Child Care Center. Other legislation includes a bill addressing the need for statewide efforts to increase the awareness of the dangers of drowsy driving. The bill is named in honor of A&M stu dent Lupe Medina. The Student Senate will pre sent resolutions pertaining to newly appointed Student Activi ties Director Ben Welch as well as the Child Care Center. The 66 student senators partici pate in one of four Senate commit tees: Student Services, Academic Affairs, External Affairs and Rules and Regulations. Chairs include: Bryan Atkins - Rules and Regulations, David Byrd - External Affairs, Aaron Bigbee - Academic Affairs and Justin Toal - Student Services. The Academic Affairs commit tee focuses on campus academic is sues such as student advising, de claring minors and faculty quality at Texas A&M. The External Affairs committee focuses on the Texas A&M commu nity and its relationship with local, state and national governments. The Rules and Regulations committee reviews the Student Government Association Consti tution, branch bylaws, election regulations and the University Rules and Regulations. see Senate on Page 11. Towing the line BRANDON BOLLOM/The Battalion Approximately 80 vehicles were towed from Bonfire site directly behind the Zachry parking lot after many students parked illegally Tuesday. McGwire hits home run No. 62 to break Maris’ 37-year record ST. LOUIS (AP) — History wasn’t made with one of his magical moonshots or majestic arcs. Mark McGwire simply lined a laser to left Tbesday night — his shortest home run of the season at 341 feet.Homer No. 62 barely cleared the wall. His mighty swing won the race to break Roger Maris’ 37-year-old record. McGwire connected with two outs in the fourth in ning off the Chicago Cubs’ Steve Trachsel for the historic homer, punctuating the chase that reinvigorated the game and captivated the nation. McGwire was so caught up in the moment that he missed first base as he rounded the bag and had to re turn to touch it, pulled back by coach Dave McKay. From there, McGwire got handshakes from every Chicago infielder as he trotted home and then hugged catcher Scott Servais. McGwire was mobbed by his teammates at home plate, where he hoisted his 10-year-old batboy son Matt high into the air. McGwire then ran into the seats to hug the family of Maris, whose record he had just broken. Cubs right fielder Sammy Sosa, who has 58 home runs, ran in from right field to hug McGwire. As the ball cleared the left-field fence, there was no scramble to retrieve it because it landed in an area where no fan could get it. MIKE FUENTES/The Battalion Students watch television on the second floor of the MSC, as Mark McGwire hits his 62nd homerun. Tim Forneris, a ground-crew worker, picked it up and later gave it to McGwire in a postgame party on the field. “Right when it hit off the bat, I knew it was going out and it went right over the sign,†he said. “There was a bunch of ground-crew guys on the wall. But I was right on the edge and I said, ‘That ball is mine.’†rAir Brush SiSiiversity Plus i pedicure!^ [Ifillers courses on PI Products. FREE 1 "; amovalofanysetp 1 '' 9 imerous topics Health ickage AMY CURTIS •" AARON MEIER The Battalion stration for Univer- is courses are cur- underway for the tester. /ersity Plus cours- personal enrich- ourses that are of- on a non-grade, ?dit basis. University Plus P cover a variety of the Post 0^ from dancing to . d and start at dif- > . times throughout : follow up w/#,iester. ty Capehart, pro- t Lenses TAMU’85 gram manager for the MSC, said classes range from $15 to $55 for stu dents. Classes covering woodworking, art, stained glass, wine tasting, pottery, photography, country and western dancing, ballroom dancing and first-aid/CPR are offered. Capehart said Universi ty Plus is the best example of the four goals of the Stu dent Programs. “Our goal in Student Programs is to provide fa cilities, services, student development, and pro grams all simultaneously,†Capehart said. Hispanic Open House stresses campus involvement MIKE FUENTES/The Battalion Christopher H. Alvarado, Class of ‘95, addresses Hispanic Open House Tuesday night at the MSC. Alvarado is currently a legislator in Austin. BY NONI SRIDHARA The Battalion The Hispanic Open House, spon sored by the Hispanic Presidents Council was held last night at 7:30 in the MSC. The event featured fifteen organi zations, including sororities, fraterni ties, academic societies, and enter tainment groups. The keynote speaker at this year’s event was Christopher H. Alvorado, Class of ’95. Alvorado, who graduated with Bachelor of Arts degrees in psy chology and history, is currently serv ing as a legislative assistant at the State Capitol. Alvorado was involved in stu dent organizations while at A&M. These organizations included His panic Presidents Council (HPC), MSC Committee for the Awareness of Mex ican American Cultures (CAMAC) and Minority Enrichment and Develop ment through Academic and Leader- snip Skills (MEDALS). During last night’s address, Alvo rado discussed with students the im portance of becoming involved at an early stage in their undergraduate ca reers and the importance of giving back to Texas A&M as well as the sur rounding community. In his speech, Alvorado stressed how academics and involvement in ex tracurricular activities are vital tools for minorities to embrace in order to com pete and rise upwards in today’s society. Michael Sanchez, a junior comput er engineering major and publicity chair for the Society of Hispanic Pro fessional Engineers (SHPE) said the open house is beneficial to students. “The big advantage of the Hispanic Open House as opposed to the regular [MSC Open House] is that there is a stronger sense of unity present,†Sanchez said. Jason Santos, vice president for the Sigma Lambda Beta fraternity and a sophomore aerospace engineering ma jor, said the size of the MSC Open House can be overwhelming “We were kind of hidden at the MSC Open House, but here, Hispanic students can gain closer access to the various organizations,†Santos said. Many of the attendees were meeting one another after visiting the tables “Another advantage to the Hispan ic Open House is that one-on-one in teraction that takes place amongst stu dents,†Santos said. “There isn’t an opportunity to do this at regular open house due to the crowds.†Sylvia Martinez, a freshman general studies major attending the Open House, said she liked the event’s approach. “Even though. I’m not sure of what I want organizations I want to join, I liked being on a more personal basis. I think all the tables tried to reach out and showed that they cared about you, and wanted us to become a part of their organization.†see Open House on Page 11.