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105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
January 21, 1999
Volume 105 • Issue 76 • 14 Pages
College Station, Texas
aggielife
• There s something about
movies. Shakespeare in
Love, Saving Private
Ryan receive accolades.
PAGE 3
today’s issue
Opinion 13
State 8
Friday’s issue
Aggies get taste of wrestlemania;
WCWhits the mat in Reed Are
na this weekend.
sports
• In womens basketball
Texas Tech, Iowa State
lead race for NCAA
tournament bid.
PAGE 11
Closed Chambers
Fire Fightin’ Ags
Brazos Valley Chamber of Commerce revokes memberships
f Planned Parenthood, BVCL, Hope Pregnancy Center
I
BY MEREDITH HIGH!
The Battalion
■ince Planned Parenthood
Bounced it was building a
B clinic in Bryan that would
■r abortion services, the is-
ue has sparked controversy in
le community—a controver-
Hiat has now moved to the
ry.m-College Station Cham-
lof Commerce.
■Vhen a ribbon-cutting cer-
mony for the Planned Par-
nthood facility was approved
Hn 11-10 vote by the cham-
er, the Brazos Valley Coali-
on for Life began a fax cam-
Kn to halt the ceremony.
Bhe campaign resulted in
0 out oif the 1,400 chamber
aembers faxing the chamber,
Buesting a reconsideration
if the vote.
Blanned Parenthood with-
Irew the request for the cere-
ttony, but shortly after the de-
ision, the chamber passed a
esolution to cancel the mem-
'•ships of Planned Parent
hood, Brazos Valley Coalition
for Life and Hope Pregnancy
Center.
Planned Parenthood and
Hope Pregnancy Center are
now in the process of appeal
ing the cancellation of their
membership in the chamber.
Hope Pregnancy Center de
clined to comment on its ap
peal to the chamber. BVCL did
not appeal the ruling, prefer
ring to focus on helping
women understand that op
tions other than abortion are
available.
Lauren Donohue, execu
tive director of BVCL, said she
believes chamber members
made the decision that was
best for the community.
“Planned Parenthood and
abortion are very controver
sial, and surveys have been
done showing that 70 percent
of the community is against
the clinic,” she said. “A lot of
the members of the chamber
are pro-life and couldn’t go
against their conscience.”
The chamber’s resolution,
which cancelled the member
ship of all three organizations,
read, “The chamber of com
merce is neither pro-life nor
pro-choice. We exist solely for
the purpose of being pro-
Bryan-College Station.”
“I think these
members are
voting what they
think is best for
the chamber”
— Celia Goode-Haddock
Chamber of Commerce
Celia Goode-Haddock,
chair of the chamber of com
merce, said she believes voters
had the chamber’s best inter
est in mind when they voted.
“I think these members are
voting what they think is best
for the chamber, not whether
they are pro-life or pro-
choice,” she said.
Susan Nenney, spokes
woman for Planned Parent
hood, said that the exclusion
of Planned Parenthood from a
local chamber of commerce
has never before occured.
Planned Parenthood had
been a member of the cham
ber for four years before the
decision.
“We hope to resolve this
very positively,” Nenney said.
“We were proud to be a mem
ber of the chamber. We offer a
broad range of services that are
a basic part of life in Bryan.
“We’re as vital an agency
as anyone, and we’re opti
mistic we will solve this.”
Nenney said Planned Par
enthood made no effort to
lobby the chamber about the
ribbon-cutting ceremony.
see Chambers on Page 2.
Mending Munson
fate of barricades handed to voters on May ballot
Katherine Stempien/The Battalion
Jeff David and Vicky Blanco, both senior environmental design majors, suit up to fight a
fire at the A&M volunteer fire department for their Elements of Interior Architecture class.
BY CARRIE BENNETT
The Battalion
■The College Station City Council passed the agenda item
Eing for a special election to determine the closure status
■Munson Avenue, and the election has been scheduled
)t May 1.
■Organizations in support of each side of the issue have
een formed to campaign prior to the May election.
■Kayla Glover, resident of the College Hills neighborhood,
/hich houses Munson Avenue, will lead the group Friends
|0ur Community, the members of which are in support of
ermanent removal of the barricades.
K“We will run a full-fledged campaign with advertising on
y, radio and in newspapers,” Glover said. “Our main ob-
?ctive is getting people to vote.”
■Mike McMichen, a member of Friends of Our Commu-
iity, said traffic demands on Munson Avenue have de
based since the completion of the Texas Avenue con-
■iction, and he believes there is no reason for the closure.
I “We are really pushing for the city council to take the bar-
icades down now to get traffic counts on Munson, since the
onstruction on Texas is done,” McMichen said.
■McMichen said students of the local campus of Blinn Ju-
lior College once used Munson Avenue as an alternative
oute when the college was split into two campuses, but it
ias consolidated and relocated.
■Connie Hooks, city secretary for College Station, said the
>arricades will remain until a decision is reached on May 1.
■Stephen Miller, a member of the organization in favor of
he barricades, said he believes the closure prevents traffic
congestion, which preserves the quality of the neighborhood.
see Munson on Page 2.
Faculty Senate approves
portion of 60-60-60 bill
File Photo/The Battalion
Barricades were placed on Munson Avenue June 15,1998. A special
election will determine whether or not the barricades will be removed.
BY AMANDA PALM
The Battalion
Texas A&M Faculty Senate approved a
portion of the recommended 60-60-60 Q-
Drop bill yesterday.
The senate approved the recommenda
tion to increase the number of Q-drops al
lotted to undergraduate students from
three to four, but did not approve chang
ing the Q-drop deadline from the 50th to
the 60th class day. The bill will be sent to
President Bowen for final approval.
The proposed change to the Q-drop sys
tem will give undergraduate students two
Q-drops to use before completing 60 se
mester hours and two more to be used be
fore finishing another 60 hours.
If the two primary Q-drops are not used
before the completion of 60 hours, they
will be omitted from the allotment.
Diane Kaplan, the Faculty Senate speak
er, said the first 60 hours completed apply
to hours acquired at any accredited college
or university and do not have to be ac
quired solely at Texas A&M University.
Naomi Fackler, a senator representing
the College of Veterinary Medicine, said
the current Q-drop deadline offers enough
“Fifty days is plenty of
time. It is much longer
than most schools offer.”
— Naomi Fackler
Faculty Senate
time for students to decide whether or not
to drop a class.
“Fifty class days is plenty of time,”
Fackler said. “It is much longer than most
schools offer.”
The senate approved a recommenda
tion not to place grade distributions on the
Internet. Grade distributions are available
to students through Student Counseling
Services.
©stage pains increase as new price sticks
Prior to mid-19th century, postal rates
print Store At
oShack. me based on the number of pages in a
etter and the distance over which the letter
|as to be sent.
Starting in 1863, the U.S. Postal Service
nay not o* - •„(
with a local *R r cnfi
Niches reserv‘d'
8 used under 1
abased the cost of postage solely on weight.
Source: U.S. Postal Service
BY LISA HILL
The Battalion
On Jan. 10 the United States Postal
Service raised the price of stamps and
introduced the 33-cent stamp.
Trip Jacks, Postal Business Cen
ter manager at the College Station
Post Office, said it serves as the
Postal Service’s first cost increase in
nearly four years.
Jacks said the increase affects
one ounce, first-class letters. He
said after the first ounce, each addi
tional ounce has been reduced from
23 to 22 cents. He said no change
has been made to international
rates.
Jacks said the extra money will
fund technology advances for post
offices throughout the country.
“The money is not going toward
parties, or frivolous activities — it’s
going into more advanced equip
ment,” he said, “like delivery con
firmation, which allows efficient
tracking of mail and better customer
service. ”
Jacks said the overall reaction
has been positive, and the public
has been generally understanding.
Tom McGrath, postmaster for the
College Station Post Office, agrees
with the rate increase and has not
experienced any negative reaction
by the public.
“The increase is absolutely nec
essary due to rising costs,” he said.
McGrath said the increase in
postage has triggered a rise in sales
of one-cent stamps.
“The demand has been tremen
dous for one-cent stamps, but we
have planned in advance, so there
haven’t been any problems.” Mc
Grath said.
According to information provid
ed by Jacks, the U.S. Postal Service
prepared by printing billions of one-
cent stamps to add to current
postage.
However, students say the in
crease has caused problems.
Lori Vaccaro, a senior finance
major, says she never knew how
much of a hassle one penny could
cause.
“I recently mailed my bills with
32-cent stamps,” Vaccaro said.
“Now they will probably be re
turned and what was a four to five
cent shortage will turn into $20 to
$30 in late fees, it’s just a hassle.”
Letters with 32-cent postage will
be marked “postage due” and most
likely returned.
According to information provid
ed by Jacks, nation-wide post of
fices have generic stamps, which
are kept in stock to be sold in the
event of a rate increase.
The newly-implemented first-
class mail “H” stamp, bearing a pic
ture of Uncle Sam’s hat, is one of
the generic stamps and is being sold
until 33-cent stamps are printed.
The “H” stamps and one-cent
stamps, for people who do not wish
to purchase the new stamps, are
available at local post offices.