ROOMING
TACLES
Architecture student Carl Lintner
illness, uses recovery as
■isplation to help others.
^BELIFE, PAGE 4
HOOKING THE
HORNS
• Sixteenth ranked Aggies
ready to take on No. 13
University of Texas team.
SPORTS, PAGE 7
CHECK OUT
THE BATTALION
ONLINE
http://battalion. tamu.edu
WEDNESDAY
September 30, 1998
Volume 105 • Issue 24 • 12 Pages
105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
ien '901
.net/n
orthgate racism story goes here Talk of air-conditioning addition
concerns some Walton residents
I BY JOE SCHUMACHER
The Battalion
le External Affairs committee
le Student Senate held a fol-
Ip meeting addressing the is-
V alleged racially-motivated
■its in the Northgate area,
■e committee agreed to begin
■ling various events, such as
ns and celebrations of diversi-
to use awareness of this issue.
Tatsuki Ohashi, president of
Biternational Student Associ-
and a senior international
les and history major, urged
■s not to focus on the nega-
■events that have happened
|o recognize various interna-
culture events that have re
ly occurred.
ny Magee, Speaker of the
acbnt Senate and a senior psy
chology major; Suzanne Drolesky,
director of international student
activities and Ohashi all met Fri
day to discuss issues that they felt
needed to be targeted.
The three said one of the major
problems was the students’ rela
tionship with businesses in the
Northgate area.
Many international students
have complained of being treated
rudely or unfairly by some busi
nesses in the area.
Magee suggested having inter
national students go to local
schools and work with children to
improve community relations.
“Elementary age children will
see students and incorporate them
into their knowledge base, which
will foster a growing knowledge
and respect for people of other
cultures,” Magee said.
Drolesky said the responsibil
ity of dealing with the racism in
Northgate lies with students.
Michael “Hoy” Haughey, presi
dent of Residence Hall Association
and a senior mathematics major,
recommended a forum be held,
discussing racial issues. Haughey
cited the success of the NAACP’s
“Say What You Want to Say” fo
rum Monday as an example.
Lt. Chris Farris of the Bryan Po
lice Department attended the
meeting.
He said that a lack of reporting
is the primary reason the BPD has
not played an active role in the pa
trolling the Northgate area.
He also said he thought BPD
had not been notified of the al
leged racial incidents.
BY AMANDA SMITH
The Battalion
Residents living in Walton Hall
expressed concerns about the cost
of adding air conditioning to Wal
ton Hall, one of the last two non air
conditioned halls on campus.
Representatives from the De
partment of Residence Life pre
sented a report outlining the pos
sible renovations and
considerations for Hart Hall,
based on a report from Smith
Seckman Reid, a consultant engi
neering firm.
Ron Sasse, director of the De
partment of Residence Life, said
the expected renovations will only
be carried out with the consent of
the residents.
“We are here to listen to you,”
Sasse said. “No decisions have
been made. But Walton is a large
hall and we could use that hall for
air conditioning.”
Sasse said the influx of 7,200
freshman, the second-largest fresh
man class in the University’s his
tory, increased the demand for on-
campus housing.
“More people accepted offers for
admission and more people ac
cepted offers for housing,” Sasse
said. “There is less desire for non-
air conditioned halls (among in
coming residents).”
Walton Hall can hold 336 resi
dents but currently has only 314
students.
Of those, 42 were assigned to
the hall as a result of over assign
ments.
Hart Hall, the only other non-air
conditioned hall on campus, cur
rently houses only 259 residents, less
than its capacity of 274 residents.
“We have the demand for hous
ing,” Sasse said. “We want to make
an option that is attractive. ”
Jeremy Nelson, a fifth-year res
ident of Walton Hall and a senior
computer science major, said he
was over assigned as a freshman
and considered leaving.
see Walton on Page 2.
327.) J
ckDiy
ase.
Iremy Rogerson, a freshman biomedical sciences major, t
ligin front of the Jack K. Williams Administration Building.
b
MIKE PUENTESAThe Battalion
takes down a
Water damage, fallen
concrete plague
Architecture Building
BY JOE SCHUMACHER
The Battalion
The Langford Architecture
Building roof has been under a
constant state of repair ever since
the building was first erected.
This is due mostly to faulty
work around the skylights. Al
though work was performed on
the sky lights as recently as last
year, the leaky roof has been
called a longstanding problem by
Walter Wendler, the interim dean
of the architecture department.
Wendler said that the in
tense heat this summer is part
ly responsible for the damage
to the skylight.
“The heat caused a lot of
movement in the building,
which in turn caused the seals
around the windows to crack,
and wherever there is a crack,
water can get in, ” Wendler said.
Mike Goldwater, associate
director of Grounds Mainte
nance, said that the skylights
are in fact still leaking and are
under warranty. The contractor
was being contacted to repair
them. He said that most of the
damage is aesthetic.
Water damage is apparent in
JAKE SCHRICKLING/Thh Battalion
A concrete beam in a fourth-floor studio of the Langford Architec
ture Building A shows visible signs of shifting.
Langford, as well as spawling —
where concrete has disintegrat
ed and fallen off in large chunks.
A specific example is on the
fourth floor stairway leading up
to the fifth floor. The stairway is
not climate controlled and is
PTTS to fund new bike racks
susceptible to spawling.
Wendler said the spawling
may also be a result of past re
pairs causing certain areas to
dry out, and thus disintegrate.
see Building on Page 2.
NEWS IN BRIEF
BY MEGAN WRIGHT
The Battalion
The Department of Parking,
Traffic and Transportation Ser
vices has allocated $10,000 for
new bike racks to be placed at
various locations on campus.
Tom Williams, director of
PTTS, said the completion and
increased traffic at the library
annex prompted the purchase
of the additional racks.
“We saw that the contrac
tors had finished the new an
nex and decided that the^ex-
tra units were necessary,”
Williams said.
Williams said a committee
consisting of representatives
from PTTS, the Physical Plant,
Ground Maintenance Crews
and the A&M Safety Office is
considering different locations
to place these additional racks.
“The first group of racks
will be put outside the new
computing center in the li
brary annex,” Williams said.
The new racks will be in
stalled on campus in the next
few weeks.
A decision about where to
put additional units arriving
is still being discussed by the
committee.
Student reaction
to bus prototype
reeks work out seating issues l ar g e ly positive
BY MELISSA JORDAN
The Battalion
he first attempt at Greek bloc seating
[aturday’s football game against the
ersity of North Texas proved to be
|er said than done.
he Greek organizations planned to
h a bloc comparable to that of the
as of Cadets. The bloc-style seating
actually dispersed, though, with in-
|dual organizations scattered through-
the third deck.
cott Lovejoy, president of the Inter-
mity Council and a senior manage-
t information systems major, said the
lems were caused by miscommuni-
|0n within the Athletics Department
between the individual fraternities
sororities.
The main problem was this is the first
we have done it,” Lovejoy said,
ndividual Greek organizations were able
it together in support of the 12th Man,
the goal of creating interaction between
the groups was not completely attained.
Kristen Kirby, president of the Panhel-
lenic Council and a senior accounting
major, said sitting together at the game
did promote some interaction within the
different organizations.
“It really fostered unity because we were
there with a common goal,” Kirby said.
Lovejoy said the bloc-style seating will
provide more interaction between indi
vidual Greek organizations and expects an
increased participation from the groups
during the next home football game.
Faculty in the Athletics Department said
19 organizations, Greek and other A&M or
ganizations, pulled an average of 30 tick
ets per organization for Saturday’s game.
Lovejoy said he feels certain the prob
lems will be worked out and the Athlet
ics Department has assured him a solid
bloc of seats will be provided for all of the
participating Greek organizations to sit
together at the next home game.
“I think it’s all stuff that will be
worked out,” Lovejoy said.
BY MEGAN WRIGHT
The Battalion
Over the past week, Texas A&M Bus Opera
tions has run a prototype bus through various
routes, both on and off campus, to test student
reactions to the bus and its capabilities.
The bus, on loan from the Blue Bird bus
company, features inward-facing seats, a more
powerful air conditioner, a more efficient en
gine and a more advanced para-transit lift.
Gary Jackson, a Bus Ops manager, said
student reactions have been, for the most
part, positive.
“We’ve had very few complaints,” Jackson
said. “Those that we have had ranged from the
air conditioning being too cold to students not
liking the fact that the seats face inward.”
Brian Robertson, a junior psychology major,
rides both on and off campus buses everyday
and said he prefers the new bus.
“I like this new bus better,” Robertson said.
“Sometimes I think that the seats themselves
aren’t as comfortable, but this air conditioning
is much better. ”
Laurie Nickels, student body president, rode
BRANDON BOLLOM/The Battalion
Bus Operations is borrowing a bus from the Blue
Bird bus company to test student reactions.
the prototype on a complete off-campus cycle
yesterday.
“It is a lot more spacious and an overall bet
ter environment,” Nickels said. “All we need
now is for the financial end to come through and
to explain to the student body the details of the
choices we have. We can concentrate on our
bus system and let up on parking or vice versa.
It is really difficult to do both within a budget. ”
When the prototype is returned to Blue
Bird later this week, Bus Ops will be looking
at previewing more models of busses from
different companies.
“We will still be previewing into the spring
semester,” Jackson said. “A final decision will
be made by Bus Ops administration sometime
in April or May. ”
see Bus on Page 2.
Freshmen elections
wrap up today
Elections for the freshman class
officers concludes today.
The polling places open at 9
a.m. and will close at 5 p.m.
Votes can be cast at the Com
mons, the MSC, Evans Library, Dun
can Dining Hall, Underground, Stu
dent Recreation Center, Kleberg
Building, Wehner Building, Blocker
Building and Zachry.
Election results will be an
nounced tonight at 10 p.m. at the
Lawrence Sullivan Ross statue in
the Academic Plaza.
If necessary, runoff elections
will be held next Tuesday and
Wednesday.
Program to benefit
China flood victims
The China Club will sponsor a
program for Chinese flood victims
tonight at 7:30 in Rudder Theater.
“Drive Away the Waters” flood re
lief will help support the millions of
victims of China’s greatest flood in
50 years. All proceeds will go to the
Yangtze Flood Relief Fund.
The program will include Oriental
dances and performances, an
Asian costume show, a martial arts
and Kung Fu exhibition and an or
chestra performance.
The China Club, the Chinese Stu
dents Association and the A&M
Consolidated High School Orches
tra will be among the performers.
Tickets are $5 per person and
can be purchased from committee
members of the China Club and the
Chinese Student Association or by
calling, 862-9010, 862-9041 or
862-9057. Tickets can also be pur
chased at the door on the night of
the program.