The
TUESDAY
March 23, 1999
Volume 105 • Issue 113 • 10 Pages
College Station, Texas
105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
sports
• Texas A&M Baseball
Team defeats University
of Nevada - Las Vegas to
win Continental Classic.
PAGE 7
today’s issue
Toons 2
News 10
Battalion Radio
Listen for details on new roller
skating rink to open in Bryan at
1:57p.m. on KAMU 90.9.
opinion
• School vouchers do
more harm than good
for the already troubled
educational system.
PAGE 9
ampaigning begins
ndidates vie for student-leader positions
[BY EMILY R. SNOOKS
The Battalion
• '••V.b’® xas A&M’s annual election
* tmpaign week has arrived,
^Hting the student body and
KEPUENTES- etampus will be inundated
us But , er . ith fliers and posters boasting
Utilises, goals and innovative
' ' '" ?w deas to better the Universi-
| Campaign week officially
jarled Sunday at noon and will
ItdlVlarch 31 at midnight,
j Ifirums for each position will
b held throughout the rest of
jislveek in the MSC Flagroom.
■yell leader forum will be to-
tylat noon, and the student
mecticupdy president foriim will be
^■nesday at noon.
|Vawn McGill, Student Gov-
■ent Association election
sconsinl
commissioner and a senior fi
nance major, said candidates and
their staffs will be held responsi
ble for campaigning under rules
established by the Student Gov
ernment Association Election
Commission.
Formal campaigning, includ
ing placement or distribution of
promotional material by candi
dates or other students is pro
hibited in classrooms, the MSC
and the Koldus Building, but this
year students and candidates are
allowed to wear promotional T-
shirts in classrooms but not in
Koldus or the MSC.
Voting begins March 31 at 9
a.m. and ends April 1 at 5 p.m.
During voting time, no formal
campaigning is allowed, but can
didates’ posters and boards may
remain posted.
McGill said the most common
campaign violation pertains to
visiting and campaigning in
dorms before or after the allotted
times. She said candidates are al
lowed only in certain on-campus
dorms from 7 to 9 p.m. on des
ignated evenings.
McGill said some candidates
and their staffs have accumulat
ed fines due to sign placement
along Texas Highway 6, which
violates city and state laws and
Election Commission rules. The
signs have been removed, and
the candidates will be fined by
the Election Commission.
Candidates have designated
spending limits and are not per
mitted to exceed the limits or
misuse funds. Candidate spend
ing limits include $1,000 for stu
dent-body-president candidates.
Spending Limits for
Candidates
Student body president
$1,000
Yell leaders
$700
Class presidents
$250
All other candidates
$100
Club’s money woes
halt expansion plan
$700 for yell-leader candidates,
$250 for class-president candi
dates and $100 for all others.
McGill said many other large uni
versities have no spending limits
and most smaller schools have
smaller limits.
To eliminate the usual sign
clutter on campus during cam
paign week, the Election Com
mission is providing sandwich
boards for the yell leader and stu
dent body president candidates,
McGill said. The boards have
been placed in high pedestrian
traffic areas on campus.
n Illinoi‘
eather
Bicycle accident
BY RACHEL HOLLAND
The Battalion
Plans for a five-club entertainment
center at Epicenter will not be imple
mented because of insufficient parking.
Sri Kandalam, owner of Epicenter,
said he is unable to fulfill the original
plan for five clubs because it would vi
olate the conditional-use permit,
which calculates how much square
footage can be occupied in relation to
the number of parking spots available.
Epicenter currently consists of a
sports bar and a dance club, and Kan
dalam said a martini bar will open in
May.
Lance Simms, a building official
with College Station, said under the
conditional use permit, only half of the
entertainment center can be used be
cause of the insufficient parking.
“There is not enough parking for the
amount of club space they want to oc
cupy,” he said. “But they are currently
in accordance with all regulations.”
Kandalam said it is not cost effective
to pay for the construction and rent of
a building when only half of it is in use.
He said he is able to keep Epicenter fi
nancially secure through profit from
other businesses he has owned.
“The economics of the plan did not
come through,” he said.
“The five clubs did not fall into
place. Some people called me crazy for
following through, but I am proud of
Epicenter and intend to see it through.”
Lee Battle, senior planner with Col
lege Station, said further expansion of
Epicenter would require another con
ditional-use permit.
He said the permits, however, are is
sued with the best interest of the city in
mind, and requests for use of adjacent
parking lots or to decrease the number
of required spots are likely to be de
nied.
National Geographic
editor to host lecture
MIKE FUENTES/The Battalion
Richard Williams, a physical plant employee, is put into an ambulance by a College Station Fire Department (CSFD)
official. Williams was hit by a Jeep on the corner of University and College Main while riding his bicycle Monday.
Williams was treated and released from St. Joseph’s Hospital the same day. CSFD officials said charges may be pend-
I ing against both parties.
1
BY APRIL YOUNG
The Battalion
William L. Allen, editor in chief of Na
tional Geographic magazine, will present a
multi-image video demonstration at 7:30
tonight at the Presidential Conference Cen
ter.
Allen, who serves on the board of direc
tors for the Institute of Nautical Archeology
at Texas A&M, will exhibit classic National
Geographic photography through his pre
sentation, “Eye of the Beholder.”
The presentation will focus on the histo
ry of the National Geographic Society, its
writers and photographers, and their re
search and exploration. It will feature per
sonal commentary and reflection of the
magazine.
Robert Kennedy, vice president for re
search, said the role National Geographic
has played in society makes the program ap
pealing.
“Given the role the National Geographic
has had in this country and our society over
the years, this is a wonderful opportunity to
have Mr. Allen on campus to help increase
awareness of natural resources and to in
crease the involvement of students in sci
ence,” Kennedy said.
“This program will
broaden student
awareness of different
social and global
environments^
— Robert Kennedy
Vice president for research
Kennedy said the presentation will ex
pand students’ knowledge of National Ge
ographic and various societies.
“Most students are familiar with the jour
nal, and it has played a fundamental and
important role in broadening their educa
tion,” Kennedy said. “This program will
broaden student awareness of different so
cieties and global environments.”
The presentation is free and open to the
public, but tickets for admission must be
obtained at the MSC Box Office.
S3
es Miserables’
akes presence
It on campus
BY EMILY R. SNOOKS
The Battalion
|Les Miserables,” a musical that is performed internationally and
fore of the largest productions to come to College Station, will be
In performances tonight and continue through March 28 and is
|oiisored by the MSC Opera and Performing Arts Society (OPAS).
Robbie Thomas, student chair of OPAS and a senior mechanical
jigineering major, said “Les Miserables” ranks equally with the
jher shows OPAS sponsors at Texas A&M in regard to quality and
|ope, but it is larger in terms of props, staging, popularity, cast size
■ number of performances.
Thomas said although OPAS is typically responsible for financ-
p3roadway shows in College Station, “Les Miserables” will fund
^performances.
“In this rare case, ‘Les Miserables’ is taking the financial risk of
Tging their musical to College Station; typically we are taking
risk,” he said.
JWe will be supplying the performance with labor, theater ush-
|ng and the distribution of material.”
Thomas said the musical has had the largest load of props, stag-
md costumes of any OPAS event this year.
•Sv'v
py*:
mMS
MMm
jm
Volunteer Services aids
community, students
GUY ROGERS/The Battalion
Stage hands unload one of eight trucks in preparation fortommor-
row’s performance of “Les Miserables.” Throckmorton Street was
closed in order to accommodate the set-up process.
Throckmorton Street was closed yesterday to allow the musical’s
trailers to park and unload.
All bus stops on Throckmorton and Coke streets were diverted
to Joe Routt Boulevard. Bus operations will return to normal this
morning.
Thomas said the MSC Box Office has sold hundreds of tickets for
the performances, but tickets are still available. Ticket prices are $30
to $48 for weekday shows and $35 to $53 for weekend performances.
See Related Story on Page 3.
BY AMANDA STIRPE
The Battalion
The need for additional communi
ty-service information for Texas A&M
organizations led to the formation of
the Volunteer Services Center through
the Department of Student Activities
in the Koldus Building, Leslie Scott, a
coordinator of the program, said.
Scott, a sophomore accounting ma
jor, said services will be offered start
ing next fall and that the center is a
link between A&M and the communi
ty-
The center’s mission is to promote
the spirit of community services and
act as a liaison between the non-prof
it community and the Aggie family.
“Organizations have generally cho
sen a group that is well known such as
the Boys and Girls Club and would ig
nore other volunteer organizations in
the community who need help,” Scott
said.
An informational Web page called
the Virtual Volunteer Services Center
at http://vvsc.tamu.edu was estab
lished to inform organizations about
possible community-service options in
the Bryan-College Station area and on
the A&M campus.
The Web page instructs organiza
tions and individuals on how to get
community service started and how to
record types of services for award op
portunities. Individuals are also able
to view other community-service op
portunities executed by other organi
zations.
Sharis Smith, a graduate assistant
for community service at the Student
Activities Office, said a council of 12
students representing major groups on
campus will be established at the end
of April. The main focus of the coun
cil will be community service within
the represented groups.
Smith said the Volunteer Services
Center will honor groups in the fall in
categories including unique service
and member participation.
“Groups whose whole mission is
community service will not necessar
ily win all the time,” Smith said. “We
will award a variety of groups. ”
Tl