A2322
1938:Sept
OF OLD
L RHYME
C readies to take
back to roots of rap
off-
-E, PAGE 4
STATE OF THE
ARTS
• MSC OPAS offers
students a welcome taste of
culture at A&M.
OPINION, PAGE 15
'mm
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WEDNESDAY
September 23, 1998
Issue 19 • 16 pages
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105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
GRIN (771
.adhan reindicted
Y AMANDA SMITH
The Battalion
til Services
fills S13
j|A&M University computer
professor Dhiraj Pradhan
dieted by a grand jury for
official capacity TYiesday.
idictment charges Pradhan
asing government property
t more than $25,000 and
$100,000.
audit accused Pradhan
propriating $100,000 in re-
his two private businesses,
d guilty at a Dec. 3 trial, Prad-
i face two to 10 years impris-
• ind up to a $10,000 fine.
Suite 3-AG
Post Oak V'dlajti
Mon-Sat^,’ -
mimmts &».
State District Judge Carolyn Ruffi-
no dismissed two official miscon
duct charges and two theft charges
against Pradhan in early September
after Pradhan’s attorney, TYavis
Bryan Ill, complained the charges
were vague.
District Attorney Bill Thrner said
he elected not to pursue the two
theft charges accusing Pradhan of
using state funds to pay approxi
mately $3,000 for a private patent.
Pradhan’s tenure was reinstated
at A&M in August after a year sus
pension.
Pradhan was out of town and un
available for comment yesterday.
Relative minority percentages down
BY AMANDA STIRPE
The Battalion
The Fall 1998 freshmen enroll
ment of 7,355 students has gener
ated an increase in the number of
African-American and Hispanic
freshmen on the Texas A&M cam
pus, but a decrease in the relative
percentage of each minority.
Texas A&M enrolled 197
African-American students com
pared to 178 students in Fall 1997.
Also, Fall 1998 enrollment for His
panic students was 669, com
pared to 607 students in Fall 1997.
The rise in minority enrollment
coincides with the large school
wide enrollment. The total enroll
ment numbers have raised to
43,399 students, the largest enroll
ment in Texas A&M history. Fall
1998 enrollment precedes the sec
ond highest enrollment. Fall 1993
with 42,524 students.
However, minorities make up a
smaller percentage of the freshmen
class compared to last year.
This year, African-American stu
dents make up 2.68 percent of the
freshman population compared to
2.86 percent last year.
Hispanic students also saw a
drop in terms of percentages. The
Class of 2001 had 9.74 percent of
freshmen of Hispanic origin com
pared to this year where 9.10 per
cent of the freshmen enrolled claim
Hispanic heiritage.
Donald L. Engelage, executive
director of admissions and records,
said he is pleased with the increase
in minority enrollment at A&M but
realizes the school is not back to
pre-Hopwood enrollment.
“Pre-Hopwood, there was a plan
to raise the participation of under-
representated minorities, especial
ly African-American and Hispan-
ics,” Engelage said.
see Minorities on Page 2.
{next to Lid
Offer tfuplrtsSXH to
etch artist
MIKE RJENTES/The Battalion
(jten McFadden, a sophomore landscape architecture major, draws the Evans Library Annex us-
garment ^ stick dipped in Indian ink for her environmental design class.
2.49
West Campus garage awaits approval
BY AMANDA SMITH
The Battalion
Students and visitors to West
Campus could see a parking garage
by the year 2000 if the Department
of Parking, TYaffic and Transporta
tion Services (PTTS) receives ap
proval for the planned facility.
The 3,800-space parking garage
would be located on the current PA-
56 or “Fish Lot,” which currently
holds 900 spaces.
Tom Williams, the PTTS direcr
tor, said more parking is needed on
West Campus to accommodate the
students and visitors to the area.
“If we opened it tomorrow, it
would probably be full,” Williams
said. “It would be run as an open
garage, probably with some contract
space available to students. There
is a need for visitor parking when
there are athletic events at the Rec
Center or events at Reed Arena.”
The proposed parking garage
must receive approval from upper
administration, including Texas
A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen,
before it moves on for considera
tion by the Board of Regents.
Williams said the architects are
in the final stages of planning the
parking garage.
“The delay is not going to be
completing the design but waiting
on approval,” Williams said. “The
concept has been completed. It is
waiting on the administration’s ap
proval, but the price of concrete is
very expensive. ”
The $40 million facility may be
voted on by the Board of Regents as
early as Spring 1999. If approved,
construction might begin as early
as Fall 1999.
The proposed West Campus
parking garage includes an under
pass beneath the railroad and Well
born Road to increase safety for
pedestrian traffic, Williams said.
The garage is modeled after the
Southside parking garage, which
holds 2,000 vehicles.
“The proposed facility is about
twice the size but is almost iden
tical (in design) to the Southside
garage,” Williams said. “South-
side is the most user-friendly
garage on campus.”
Wesley Peel, the vice chancellor
for Facilities, Planning and Construc
tion, said the tentative construction
time for the West Campus garage is
estimated at 18 to 20 months.
Peel said approval by the Board
of Regents will initiate the admin
istration of the contract and solicit
for construction bids.
e jeans »
oups focus on domestic violence
1501FM If
@ Lonjn* If JOE SCHUMACHER
695# The Battalion
es Working for a Rape-free
ment and Gender Issues
on Services are sponsoring
1 display to allow students
■(' ^ess their views about do-
lljTOj^violence.
■■■■■jj^.ents can decorate T-shirts
will be displayed on a
line at the MSC at the end of
jr Brush Di T .
) visual display coincides
ctober being Domestic Vio
(Reg.$25 are ness month. Art sup-
decorate the T-shirts are
®!?l»9H[?.B'le, free of charge, at the Gen-
ues Education Services of-
Tated in 211A YMCA. Sup
plies can also be obtained at the
Women’s Studies office in 306 Aca
demic Building.
Becki Elkins-Neshiem, coordi
nator of Gender Issues Education
Services, said students can design
T-shirts that speak out against do
mestic violence or serve as memo
rials to victims of domestic vio
lence and sexual assault.
Elkins-Neshiem said several have
already been completed.
Other events planned for Domes
tic Violence Awareness Month in
clude a candle light vigil, sponsored
by Phoebe’s Home, that will be held
on the steps of the Bryan Municipal
Building on Oct. 1, at 7:30 p.m.
“We hope the vigil and other
events will encourage others to de
=alth.»
-age
sign T-shirts to heighten awareness
on campus,” Elkins-Neshiem said.
Gender Issues Education Ser
vices is holding a brown bag lunch
meeting Oct. 15 dealing with rela
tionship violence and sexual as
sault on campus. Throughout Oc
tober booths will be located in the
MSC to inform students about do
mestic violence.
Elkins-Neshiem said although
October is domestic violence
awareness month, relationship vi
olence in general is being incorpo
rated into the discussions.
“You can expand domestic vio
lence to encompass relationship vi
olence, which affects one out of
three women at the college level,”
Elkins-Neshiem said.
Duke
shares
medical
philosophy
BY BRYAN BUG KM AN
The Battalion
Dr. Red Duke, the white-mous
tached surgeon famous for his
television news segment appear
ances, spoke to the Texas A&M
Pre-Med Society on Monday.
Duke, who graduated from
A&M in 1950 and U.T Southwest
ern Medical School in 1960, dis
cussed his own career and the
challenges A&M students face in
order to become doctors.
Duke said he loves the medical
profession and has never wanted
to do anything else.
“You’ll get tired but you won’t
get bored. You’ll see something
new every day,” Duke said.
UPD: Bike
theft a big
problem
BY AMANDA SMITH
The Battalion
GREG MCREYNOLDS/l m Battalion
Dr. Red Duke, a surgeon at Uni
versity of Texas Health Science
Center, addressed pre-medical
students Tuesday night.
The physician also told stu
dents not to worry about the chal
lenges they will face in medical
school and beyond.
“Medical school ain’t no big
deal,” he said. “When you look
around you on the first day and
see all the other idiots we accept
ed you shouldn’t feel bad at all.”
see Duke on Page 2.
‘Smokey Joe’s’ features rock ’n’ roll roots
BY BETH FOCHT
The Battalion
HU’85
=>ost Oak
Photo Courtesy of OPAS.
,,, jey jjJoe’s Cafe,” a dance-musical sponsored by MSC Opera and
up w/tnP-ning Aids Society, features numbers from the 1950s. The show
ff the 1998 season for OPAS.
Tonight and Thursday night at 8,
Rudder Auditorium will sizzle with
the sounds of “Smokey Joe’s Cafe,”
as the MSC Opera and Performing
Arts Society kicks off their 26th sea
son with this hot number.
“Smokey Joe’s Cafe” is a fast
paced musical review of the songs of
Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, lead
ing songwriters of the 1950s and
leaders in the rock ’n’ roll revolution.
The show features nine perform
ers who sing and dance to a variety
of songs from Leiber and Stoller, in
cluding favorites “Jailhouse Rock,”
“Hound Dog,” “Love Potion No. 9”
and “Stand By Me.”
Kyla Grogan, performer in
“Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” said the only
way to describe the show is fun.
“It’s an evening of wonderful
singers and brilliant choreography,”
she said. “The show is full of fan
tastic songs that speaks to the heart.
These are songs that are on an au
dience members’ life soundtracks.”
Another special part of the show,
Grogan said, is the fact that there
are nine stars in the show, instead
of just one.
“Every performer gets to use
their talents to the fullest with nine
main performers,” she said. “Each
song is like a different story, and
each character evolves through
these songs and stories.”
“I have worked with a lot of top
notch shows, and “Smokey Joe’s
Cafe” is equally as wonderful,”
Grogan said. “This show is defi
nitely the jewel in the production
company’s crown.”
Robby Thomas, chairman of
OPAS, said “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” is
a great way to begin their season.
“We wanted to start with
“Smokey Joe’s Cafe because it is
such an exciting, fun and outra
geous show,” Thomas said. “We
want to get our patrons and the stu
dent population excited about the
restof the season to come.”
Bike theft is a big problem on the
Texas A&M campus, according to of
ficials at the Texas A&M University
Police Department.
Since the first day of classes, 33 bi
cycles have been stolen on campus.
Sgt. Allan Baron, an advanced po
lice officer for the UPD, said the in
crease in the number of bicycles stolen
may be attributed to the large class of
freshmen at Texas A&M this semester.
“We have a large freshman class on
campus,” Baron said. “A lot of fresh
men will pull up to their dorms and
leave their bikes unlocked. A lot of
freshmen do not think about their bikes
getting stolen because Aggies aren’t
supposed to lie, steal and cheat.” *
The current total from bike theft
losses is approximately $7,000, ac
cording to reports from the UPD.
The average stolen bike costs be
tween $200 and $250, Baron said.
“There are a lot of bikes locked up
on campus,” Baron said. “It’s easy for
someone to defeat (steal) a bike.”
Jesse Cole, a junior accounting
major, said his bike was stolen at his
house in College Station. He said the
bike was locked with a heavy gauge
lock and was stolen during the mid
dle of the night.
Baron said bikes are taken at all
hours of the day.
The University Police Department
advises students to take precautions
when locking bikes on campus:
• Students should use a case-
hardened steel U-bolt lock, as op
posed to chain or wire bike locks,
and should secure the bike through
the frame and rear wheel to a bicycle
rack to prevent theft.
• Students should engrave their
driver’s license number on the frame
of the bike.
see Smokey Joe on Page 7.
see Theft on Page 10.