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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 20, 1999)
105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY WEDNESDAY January 20, 1999 Volume 105 • Issue 74 • 12 Pages College Station, Texas opinion • Al Gore’s hidden secret is revealed as a close analysis determines him a droid. PAGE 11 today’s issue Toons 2 Aggielife 3 Thursday’s issue Aggielife’s Best of 1998 series continues with a recap of last year’s most entertaining films. sports • After opening the season with a hot streak, the Aggies drop seven straight during the winter break, leaving them 11th in conference action. PAGE? &M students, staff react to State of Union Address BY SALLIE TURNER The Battalion ^amidst the first im peachment trial in 130 ^■•s, President Clinton pugged off speculation of Impossible delay and deliv- Hl his seventh State of ■ Union address last tight. JThe state of our union st ong,” Clinton said, ^ftlinton announced tlaps to improve the coun- fy’s schools and commu- lities in the 21st century. H.ynsey Alford, a junior ilernentary education ma- or, aid she supports Clin- on's plan to increase the lumber of teachers in un- areas by of ertig bonuses and schol- irspips. Hit is an injustice that itudents do not get the ndst qualified teachers just because of their back grounds,” Alford said. Clinton discussed health care and plans to cans is unrealistic if he plans to offer adequate medical coverage. “Social medicine has "Social medicine has failed in Russia and just about every other country which has tried it.” — Dr. Charles Lessard Associate professor of biomedical engineering m improve social security. He said he plans to use 62 per cent of the national budget surplus to increase the na tion’s social security sup ply for the 21st century. Dr. Charles Lessard, an associate professor of bio medical engineering, said Clinton’s design to provide health care to all Ameri- failed in Russia and just about every other country which has tried it,” Lessard said. “The plan Clinton outlined in his speech would really have to be planned well, in or der to be successful.” Clinton expressed a de sire to have the Brady Bill, which imposes a five day waiting period upon any one purchasing a hand gun, to be permanently adopted as a law. Dave Burdett, owner of Burdett and Son Outdoor Adventure Shop in College Station, said the Brady Bill has done very little to re duce crime. “It’s nothing more than an inconvenience to hon est people,” Burdett said. “A criminal buying a gun on the street doesn’t have a waiting period.” John Burton, vice presi dent of Aggie Democrats and a senior political science major, said the programs Clinton proposed would not only benefit Texans. “In light of the trial go ing on for so long, it is re freshing to hear what peo ple want the government to do, rather than the tri al,” Burton said. Highlights of President Clinton’s State of the Union Address Labor • Minimum wage i ncrease • Ensuring Equal Pay Child Care • lax Relief for stay at home parents Economy •Y2K troubleshooting Crime/Drugs •Zero tolerance drug supervision • A permanent Brady bill waiting period • Child safety locks for handguns Service • AmeriCorps One America •EmploymentDiscrimination Act • T late Crimes Prevention Act Impeachment makes history, causes debate BY SALLIE TURNER The Battalion History is being made as President Clinton un dergoes an impeachment trial in the Senate. The trial, which began Jan. 14 with opening argu ments, will determine what action will be taken to discipline Clinton. He was impeached by the House of Representatives on Dec. 19, becoming the second president in history to face impeach ment. Missy Hataway, a first-year law student at the Texas A&M Law Center, said the trial has made people more aware of current events, united the democratic party in the Brazos Valley and served as an educational tool to teach students about the inner workings of the U.S. government. “The trial is completely making evident the partisan lines that lie in the Bryan-College Station area,” Hataway said. Robyn Knocke, vice president of programs for College Republicans and a senior marketing ma jor, believes the president should be held ac- see Impeachment on Page 2. udent Research Week eadline extended BY CARRIE BENNETT The Battalion he entry deadline for the tend Annual Student Re- earch Week has been ex- Hded to Friday, Jan. 22, due o increased student interest. The event is going to be held darch 22-2, at Texas A&M. ■Anneliese Reinemeyer, ^^■sident of the Graduate ■dent Council , said since I? he original date was during |he winter break, the dead- 'ijje was extended to make ure all students were aware flthe opportunity to partici- ate. JClifton Griffin, assistant to | vice president of research, Jd Student Research Week Tipvides an opportunity for ith students and organiza- ons, including Graduate Stu- ent Council, Honors Program, " Sigma Xi, to come together la larger group to promote the d|a of student research at Texas M. I'Activities will include pakers and a competition or- nized primarily by the Grad- late Student Council,” Griffin Id. Bill Allen, editor of Nation al Geographic, will speak Tues day, March 23, at the George Bush School of Government and Public Service. Sigma Xi, a scientific re search society, will host a sym posium along with banquet events held by Gamma Sigma Delta. Most events will be held at Rudder Tower or the Memori al Student Center. Griffin said both under graduate and graduate stu dents could compete in one of more than 50 categories. He said last year, awards and scholarships ranging from $300 for first place, to $100 for third place, were presented to winners. Students interested in enter ing the competition can register online at: < http://www.tam u. edu/researchandgradstud ies/GraduateStudies/RESWEE K/resweek.html >. The Student Research Week Committee also organizes the Research Roadshow hosted by Texas A&M’s president. Dr. Ray M. Bowen, which was see Research on Page 2. Reed Restoration CARINO CASAS/The Battalion Mid-Continental Restoration worker Richard Plafcan spreads a coat of plaster over the old paint on the Reed McDonald building. Workers began the make-over earlier this month and expect it to be complete in April. Professor looks toward celebrations of unity BY APRIL YOUNG The Battalion The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., civil rights leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner, was re membered yesterday at “Through the Eyes of a King: A Celebration of Unity and Diversity” at Rudder Theater. The speaker of the evening. Dr. Gwen Webb-Johnson, an as sistant professor of special educa tion at the University of Texas spoke about change, the celebra tion of unity and diversity and of reflection. “Standards of excellence can be mirrored through the eyes of a new king,” Webb-Johnson said. “Change is in order, but it won’t come if we rely on one person.” Dr. Webb-Johnson said King was more than a dreamer. John son encouraged listeners to move beyond perceived beliefs and re define the norm. “Celebrate your freedom of choice, but take time to listen,” Webb-Johnson said. “Challenge yourself to celebrate and marvel sameness while celebrating and marveling difference. ” “[The speech] had to affect the way you do business as an in dividual. We are all still learning, Eric Newnam/The Battalion Dr. Gwen Webb-Johnson, a Uni versity of Texas assistant profes sor, speaks Tuesday night at Rud der Auditorium in honor of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. whether we are class of ’65 or ’02,” Dr. J. Malon Southerland, vice president for student affairs said. Dr. Webb-Johnson encouraged the audience to reflect on the past and present and prepare for the future. “Know the history of this in stitution, know your own history and prepare to construct new his tory,” she said. traming prepares f PD mounted >atrol for :rowd control Training classes offer insight for interns Volunteers learn to resolve complaints in ombudsman program Photo courtesy of UPD Gteen srnoke, one elemerit in the stress test obstacle course, is used to evaluate a horse’s focus and ability totlinction in large crowds. BY BETH MILLER The Battalion : University Police De- Jrtment officers in the Counted patrol force are Investigating opportunities Ip use training acquired J)m participation in a jounted patrol training conference, sponsored by par County Sheriff De- Irtment and Texas Agri- Jtltural Extension Service. I The conference, which Mas held at the Dick Free- |an Arena in College Sta tion Jan. 4-8, taught 41 Texas police officers caval ry formations, crowd-con trol techniques, arrest and handcuffing techniques, escort techniques and methods of extracting ve hicles from crowds using officers on horseback, Lynn Sechelski, patrol lieu tenant for UPD, said. Sechelski said Texas A&M employs three types of police officers, vehicle patrol, bike patrol and mounted patrol officers. Vehicle patrol officers sur vey the streets surrounding the campus, bike patrol of ficers circulate throughout the interior of the campus and mounted patrol offi cers serve in situations in volving crowds. Sechelski said the mounted patrol force per forms better in situations involving crowds. “Crowds move when horses come through,” he said. “That’s one of the see UPD on Page 10. BY JASON SCHNEIDER The Battalion Training classes for students and volun teers who wish to participate in The Bra zos Valley Council of Governments Om budsmen Program, sponsored by the Area Agency on Aging in the Brazos Valley, will be offered today and tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Bobbie Gail Jeffries, regional ombuds man, said the program allows volunteers to address issues, resolve problems and act as liaisons between nursing home residents and their care facility and families. She said the program volunteers handle complaints ranging from room temperature to privacy issues. “We’re there for their complaints, food, clothes and cleanliness,” Hazel Crutchfield,; ombudsman volunteer at University Hills Nursing Center, said. “If they need some thing from the store, I will go get it. It is very rewarding. All we want is for them to be happy. ” Jeffries said topics covered at the train ing session will include awareness, com plaint handling and process, regulations, communication. Social Security and Medicare. There is no requirement to par ticipate. Jeffries said the program was estab lished in 1978, when Congress amended the Older Americans Act of 1965, to ad dress the concerns of nursing home atten dants. She said after they complete the training sessions, the volunteers will be offered an opportunity to serve a three-month intern ship to receive state certification. The Elderly in The Brazos Valley • 19 Brazos Valley nursing homes provide care for more than 2,325 occupants. • 50% of those residents have no family members