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FRENCH CONNECTION
•AekM students set their sights
Wmternational business with
Paris bicycle tour company.
^GGIELIFE, PAGE 4
BASKETBALL DIARIES
•3-1 Aggies look to improve record
with win against University
of Alabama’s Crimson Tide.
SPORTS, PAGE 7
CHECK OUT
THE BATTALION
ONLINE
http’.//battalion, tamu.edu
TUESDAY
December 1, 1998
Volume 105 • Issue 66 • 12 Pages
105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
&M professor faces probation, restitution Rec Center to host
World Cup swim meet
BY AMANDA SMITH
The Battalion
Long-
efense
their
ds allowed fn
1 their pas:
268.3 to 206.5
Dcess, UT’s
pped from
' exas A&M computer science pro
offense fin HM'Dhiraj Pradhan called the dis-
in the game H? attorney’s case against him
rhp crnrphrur fsoinething of a witch hunt” investi-
flon, in a fax sent to The Battalion.
is able to drill radhan pleaded guilty last week
defense ' to abase of official capacity, includ-
d "oal ;ing23 acts of misapplication of gov-
dn't oet an\tiH llient P ro P ert y ' n a confession
i said^'We unc l tir o 31 * 1 - a,rter m °re than a year
ofdenying the accusations lodged
tired defm® ns '“ m '
■’radhan was not available for
â– iment Tuesday but said the dis
trict attorney would likely have
_ued the maximum sentencing
[had he been found guilty.
â– We had indications that the DA
. was going to pursue maximum
n ' ° cU - ^ sentencing should the trial had
lore against me,” Pradhan said,
“iy decision to plea was, then, in
an effort to be done with the entire,
sordid morass: watching their side
madly scramble to make obtuse
charges stick wasn’t to my taste.”
After pleading guilty, Pradhan
faces a punish
ment of five
years deferred
adjudication pro
bation, a $5,000
fine and restitu
tion of $38,000.
Pradhan could
face up to 10
years in prison if,,
he violates the terms of his probation.
District Attorney Bill TUmer said.
Travis Bryan, Pradhan’s attor
ney representing him in the civil
lawsuit he filed against Texas A&M,
said the deferred adjudication will
allow Pradhan the chance to avoid
conviction of any charges if he
serves out his period of probation.
In the criminal trial, Pradhan
PRADHAN
pled guilty to using state funds for:
• Lodging, transportation and
meals for the short courses bene
fiting his private businesses.
• Compensation to state em
ployees of the Texas A&M Uni
versity System for work on short
courses sold by his personal
businesses.
In a separate investigation, a
1997 System audit accused Prad
han of misappropriating more than
$100,000 in University funds for his
personal benefit.
Pradhan was placed on paid
leave in August 1997 and returned
to the University a year later, pend
ing the hearing of the Committee
on Academic Freedom, Responsi
bility, Tenure, Review and Promo
tion (CAFRT).
In the audit report released in
1997, University officials said
Pradhan:
• Used University funds for per
sonal travel and lodging expenses
associated with three private com
panies he owns.
• Made graduate students per
form work exclusively for his pri
vate companies.
• Threatened not to sign a mas
ter’s thesis for Gavin Holland un
less Holland publicly presented a
paper to benefit one of Pradhan’s
private companies. Holland, ac
cording to the report, said he
agreed to present the paper for fear
he would not get his master’s the
sis approved.
Pradhan, a native of India,
filed a law suit against Texas
A&M in August, claiming he has
been the subject of discrimina
tion and First Amendment rights
violations.
Pradhan said he has felt discrim
ination since he came to Texas A&M.
see Pradhan on Page 2.
Students displaced
in dorm flooding
>grafl>
c. 4th
BY JENNIFER JONES
The Battalion
Residents of Wells and Ep-
pright residence halls were
displaced from their rooms
last night when toilets and
showers backed up, flooding
the first floors.
The first floor resident ad
viser of Wells Hall said what
may have been sewage water
aegan to flood the residence
tall early in the evening.
“The flooding started be-
ween 5 and 5:30 p.m.,” he
laid. “Water started coming
up from the toilets and show-
:rs. At its peak, the water
cached one or two inches
in the hall].”
Residents of Wells Hall
used trash cans to scoop the
water from the floor, while
Eppright Hall residents used
mops and brooms to sweep
the water out of the hall.
Mike Krenz, area coordi
nator for residence halls, said
students in seven rooms in
Eppright Hall and 22 stu
dents from Wells Hall
planned to relocate as a re
sult of the flooded rooms.
Dr. Jan Winniford, associ
ate vice president for Student
Affairs, said students who
live on the first floor of Ep
pright and Wells halls were
moved for the night.
“Staff has been trying to
relocate students,” she said.
“The students, from what I
understand, have been very
understanding about the sit
uation. Students who choose
to remain on campus will be
relocated for the night in
study carrels which were
used for overassignments
earlier in the semester. ”
Krenz said the cause of
the flooding is unknown.
“As far as what caused it,
we are still investigating
that,” he said. “What we do
know for sure was that they
were working on the water
[system] earlier in the day,
but whether that caused the
flooding we don’t know. It’s
all speculation at this point.”
Winniford said residence
hall staff have been working to
take care of the excess water.
“The staff has been trying
as best it can to to alleviate the
situation,” she said. “A staff of
12 custodial workers has been
in the dorms working with
wet vacs and disinfectants. ”
Winniford said Physical
Plant representatives plan to
meet with the Environmental
Health and Safety Depart
ment tomorrow to make sure
there are no health risks for
students living in the dorms.
see Flood on Page 12.
BRANDON BOLLOMAThi Battalion
David Leeftnki, a junior agricultural economics major, mops up water af
ter a flood in Eppright Hall Monday night.
MIKE FUENTES/The Battalion
Ryo Imai, a junior international student from Japan and a history major at
the University of California, practices Monday night for the FINA Swim
ming World Cup. The World Cup is being held through Dec. 2 at the Stu
dent Recreation Center. It will feature swim teams from all over the world.
International students to serve as
interpreters, assist in opening ceremony
BY BETH MILLER
AND JENNIFER JONES
The Battalion
Texas A&M Athletic Depart
ment, Student Recreation Center
and the Brazos Valley Sports Foun
dation are hosting the FINA Swim
ming World Cup at the Student
Recreation Center today and
Wednesday, and volunteers from
A&M’s International Student As
sociation will assist with the open
ing ceremony and serve as lan
guage interpreters for participants
in the event.
The competitors of the World
Cup, a traveling competition or
ganization, make 12 stops around
the world each year. This is the
first year one of the stops will be
in the United States, and College
Station will be the only U.S. stop
the tour will make in 1998. Other
stops for this year are Brazil,
Canada, China, Australia, Scot
land, Sweden, France, Germany
and Italy.
ISA volunteers will perform an
opening ceremony and a parade in
traditional dress.
Tatsuki Ohasi, president of ISA
and a senior international studies
major, said ISA will provide 30 vol
unteers, each student representing
one country during the ceremony
by holding a flag. The volunteers
will also help the hosts with trans
lations, since countries from
around the world will be present.
“This is a world-wide competi
tion,” Ohasi said, “so many people
may not be able to speak English.
We will be doing translations.”
Lynn Hickey, senior associate
athletic director, said hosting the
World Cup is significant because
A&M has nationalities from
around the world represented in
its student body.
“World Cup is an international
event,” Hickey said. “Over 30 dif
ferent countries will be participat
ing, so we called the International
Student Association to assist with
interpretation.”
Ohasi said having the World
Cup at A&M is positive for the
University.
“It’s a kind of international
awareness,” he said. “Only a few
of them will be hosted in the Unit
ed States. Fortunately one of them
is at A&M. We are glad to help
them make this a success.”
Judy Crockett, executive assis
tant with the 12th Man Founda
tion, said the 12th Man Student
Foundation will also provide vol
unteers for the event.
“ [The coordination between ISA
and the 12th Man Foundation] was
an easy way to pull in a lot of vol
unteers,” she said. “It takes a lot of
people to help out with an event as
big as this.”
She said the volunteers from
both organizations helped orga
nize the entertainment for the
event, which will include perfor
mances by Bryan High School and
A&M Consolidated High School
musical groups.
speech to discuss principles of holiday Bowen, Groff apologize for speech
A A M. •/ y CTAPC ANin WIRP RPRHRTQ 3c nr»t ran rannrnnrirato nl ar-o anH timn tn
BY NONI SRIDHARA
The Battalion
The MSC Black Awareness Commit-
e(BAC) will be hosting Dr. Maulana
arenga, professor and chair of the de
partment of Black Studies at California
Slate University at Long Beach and cre-
lor of Kwanzaa
ad Nguzo Saba, %
'ho will discuss
ie principles and fflti
bctices of Kwan- || ]
ia at 7 p.m. in j
adder Theater.
The celebration llwyjP
f Kwanzaa is an
ttierican holiday which begins on Dec.
Sand ends on Jan. 1. Each of the seven
ays in Kwanzaa represent a different
jinciple. These include “Umoja” mean-
igunity, “Kujichagulia” representing self-
termination, “Ujima” which is collective
^rkand responsibility, “Ujamaa” which
^cooperative economics, “Nia” meaning
purpose, “Kuumba” or creativity and
“Imani” which is .faith.
Joel Garrett, chair of the BAG and a se
nior management major, said Kwanzaa
is a time to reflect.
“Kwanzaa is an American holiday to
reaffirm our African-American roots,”
Garrett said.
Garrett said one of Karenga’s main
purposes in creating Kwanzaa is re
membering, reassessing, recommitting,
and rejoicing the African-American’s
cultural roots.
“Kwanzaa really focuses on the gath
ering of people and commemorating our
past and present cultural values,” he said.
Tammy Henry, director of programs
for the BAC and a sophomore political
science major, said preceding the lec
ture Karenga will sign copies of his book,
Kwanzaa: A Celebration of Family, Com
munity, and Culture. Henry said this
book and other general books about
Kwanzaa will be on sale at the signing.
Henry said
following the
presentation
there will be a
reception in
Rudder Exhibit
Hall. Henry said
the group Alke-
bulan Liberation
from Prairie View A&M will be perform
ing some African dances and there will
â–  Please see Related Story on Page 2.
also be a group of drummers. Henry said
the African Students Association will
also provide some African ethnic foods.
STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS
Following comments made at Bonfire by
Texas A&M football player Dan Campbell that
implied negative stereotypes of gays and les
bians, University President Dr. Ray M. Bowen
and Wally Groff, A&M athletic director, have
issued apologies to the public.
“Fm glad to go to a school where men like
women and women like men,” Campbell said
at the Nov. 24 Bonfire.
Prior to introducing Campbell at Bonfire,
A&M head coach R.C. Slocum jokingly said
Campbell had been warned to not use pro
fanity during his speech at Bonfire.
In a prepared statement, Bowen said the
views expressed by Campbell were his per
sonal views and were not the views of the
University.
“Our university is one where criticism —
real, implied or unintended — of people for
their differences is unacceptable,” Bowen said.
Groff, in a prepared statement, said Camp
bell had been briefed on the inappropriate na
ture of the comments.
“The student has been made aware that it
was not an appropriate place and time to
voice his views and has expressed regret,”
Groff said.
Bowen said the University is open to all
people and that the incident at Bonfire should
be used as a learning experience.
“Our university is one
where criticism ...of
people for their differ
ences is unacceptable.”
- DR. RAY M. BOWEN
PRESIDENT, TEXAS A&M
“I call on all members of the University
community to make real the often-stated goal
of the University to welcome all people,”
Bowen said.
“We should use the unfortunate occurrence
at the Bonfire yell practice to cause a renewal
of our commitment to the principles of inclu
sion at Texas A&M University.”