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WEDNESDAY
April 14, 1999
Volume 105 • Issue 128 • 12 Pages
College Station, Texas
105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
sports
• Texas A&M Baseball
Team uses late-inning
heroics to get win over
UT-San Antonio.
PAGE 9
today's issue
Toons 2
Opinion 11
Reminder
Tomorrow is the last day for stu
dent workers to turn informs
for early registration.
aggielife
• Theatre Arts Program
at Texas A&M brings
cc Twelfth Night” to stage
with a Latin twist.
PAGE 3
ity of Bryan to cover
il modification costs
BY AMANDA SMITH
AND NONI SRIDHARA
The Battalion
Bryan City Council autho-
the city of Bryan to enter into
n agreement with the Texas De-
^^Bnent of Transportation (Tx-
Tuesday to provide an esti-
lated $110,000 for costs associated
iitn the grade separation at die in-
^^Bction of the Union Pacific Rail-
pad tracks and Villa Maria Road.
Jpey Dunn, planning adrninis-
—"atoi for the City of Bryan, said a
racje separation involves the re-
iA|ariement of an intersection with
underpass or overpass and no
,/f Be signal. He said an example is
/il|fhere University Drive crosses over
fMghway 6.
Kandy Rose, a Bryan City Coun
cil member, said the grade separa
tion is approaching a resolution.
“It doesn’t mean that it is going to
happen in the next two weeks,” Rose
said. “Within the next two years, we
hope we will have a separation. Indi
viduals will be able to cross the road
when a train is coming. ”
Dunn said the proposed grade
separation will provide for a road
under the railroad tracks. Dunn said
the reason behind installing the
grade separation is to increase the
efficiency of traffic flow on Villa
Maria Road.
“Briarcrest, which turns into
Villa Maria is our main east-west
porter besides Highway 21,” Dunn
said.
“When the train comes through.
it slows down traffic, and it is diffi
cult to get over to West Villa Maria
where there are a lot of residences. ”
The grade separation costs, ac
quired through bond funds, will
provide for acquiring the demand
ed right-of-way and relocation of
utilities.
Dunn said the project is expect
ed to begin next year and will prob
ably take two year to complete.
Rose said the decision will allow
for ambulances to travel through
the intersection during emergencies
and provide convenience for every
day travelers.
“It is safety, as well as conve
nience,” Rose said. “This has been
an issue that has been near and
dear to my heart.”
Rose said the citizens voted to
Student leaders
to address issues
at luncheon
JP BEATO/Thk Battalion
The Bryan City Council approved
funds for a grade separation at
Villa Maria Road.
allocate money for a grade separa
tion in 1984, and Greg Rodriguez, a
Bryan City Council member, said
the two groups have been planning
a grade separation for years.
see Railroad on Page 2.
A century of tradition
MIKE FUENTES/The Battalion
John Webb, a senior history major, proposes to Jennifer Washer, a sophomore architecture major, under the Century Tree next to
the Academic Building Tuesday evening. Webb’s friends in the Corps of Cadets were present for the Saber March.
BY MEGAN E. WRIGHT
The Battalion
Texas A&M student leaders will
discuss alcohol and drug use on
campus today at the second Stu
dent Leader Luncheon of the 1998-
99 academic year.
Other issues to be discussed are
date rape, sexual assault and the
proposed modification of the Stu
dent Rules.
Rakhi Roy, graduate assistant
with the Alcohol and Drug Educa
tion Program, said the purpose of
the event is for students and facul
ty to collaborate on recent prob
lems with alcohol and drugs at
A&M.
“We hope to gather opinions
from the students and concerns
from the faculty and try to work to
gether to find solutions,” Roy said.
Roy said the event is an attempt
to gain an understanding of what
A&M students are experiencing,
and the student leaders are en
couraged to take the information
gathered back to their organiza
tions.
“Ideally, we would like to have
a constant communication be
tween our office and the students,”
Roy said.
Roy said alcohol-related events
have been featured in the media
lately, but the luncheon is in re
sponse to a core survey about al
cohol and drug use of students
conducted by the Alcohol and
Drug Education Program, not re
cent events.
Brent Paterson, director of stu
dent life, said dealing with impor
tant issues takes a cooperative ef
fort.
“It is important to implement di
alogue with student leaders about
these pressing issues,” Paterson
said. -It takes all -faetions to ad
dress them, not just the Alcohol
and Drug Education Program
see Leaders on Page 2.
Black Awareness
to present awards
for minority efforts
BY EMILY R. SNOOKS
The Battalion
The Texas A&M Black Aware
ness Committee (BAC) will pre
sent the Celebration of Achieve
ment awards today to recognize
Texas minority business leaders
and exceptional students in aca
demic and leadership skills. The
reception will be at 3 p.m. in the
J. Wayne Stark Gallery in the
MSC.
Tammy Henry, chair of the BAC
and a senior political science ma
jor, said BAC will award minority
students, staff and statewide busi
ness leaders and entrepreneurs.
Henry said he Nubian award
and the Texas Business Leaders
award will be given this afternoon.
The Nubian award is given an
nually by the BAC to honor mi
nority students who excel in lead
ership qualities, community ser
vice and academic and/or
athletic efforts.
Henry said the Texas Business
Leaders award recognizes minori
ty business leaders and entrepre
neurs throughout the state.
“The primary goal of the Texas
Business Leaders program is to
recognize members of the minori
ty community who have signifi
cantly contributed to the econom
ic diversity and growth of Texas,”
she said.
Henry said this year is the 30th
anniversary of BAC, and, to cele
brate, the organization has invited
former recipients of the Texas Busi
ness Leaders award to the presen
tation.
ictims of the Holocaust
membered at reading
BY BETH MILLER
The Battalion
I Rabbi Peter Tarlow, of the Hillel
ish Student Center, said last night’s
Service at the All Faiths Chapel to hon-
)r Holocaust victims produced “a bou-
juet of emotions” from students of
^/jbarying religions.
glilfjue hundred Aggies gathered last
* jlglit to mingle with students from
Various religions and to remember
—UfHolocaust victims.
ft Tarlow said the emotions experi-
—tnled in the chapel included care for
Jach other, disregard of religious dif-
^ erences, fear of not knowing the
'' vorld’s destination in terms of ac-
:epting differences and confusion
bout why people do not know.
^Tt was like an Aggie family,” he
;aid. “Toward the end (of the service],
to one knew who was what religion. ”
Tarlow said events of the service in
cluded the students forming a friend
ship circle.
“It symbolized that hope that some
day people from religions around the
world can hold hands and form a cir
cle of friendship rather than a circle of
terror,” he said.
During the service, Tarlow related
the Holocaust to the situation in Yu
goslavia. He said he does not under
stand why the Kosovo situation exists
with the historical facts to which the
world has access. He said people do
not realize that sometimes people
have to fight each other, but when they
start to enjoy hurting each other,
something is wrong.
Earlier yesterday, students assem
bled at Rudder Fountain to hear Holo
caust victims’ names read aloud.
Lisa Foox, first vice president of Hil
lel Jewish Student Organization and a
Pan-Hellenic, Panhellenic Councils
to unite for first all Greek step show
TERRY ROBERSON/The Battalion
Jason Kristall, a freshman biomedical
engineering major, reads the names
of victims of the Holocaust,
senior journalism major, said the
name reading, which was from 9 a.m.
see Holocaust on Page 2.
BY MEGAN E. WRIGHT
The Battalion
Organizations from the Na
tional Pan-Hellenic Council
(NPHC), the Panhellenic Coun
cil and various student leaders
will come together tonight for
the Aggieland Stompfest.
Sponsored by the NPHC, the
Aggieland Stompfest will be at
7 p.m. in Rudder Theater for
the first all Greek step show.
NPHC organization mem
bers, who will host the show,
have taught members of Na
tional Panhellenic Conference
(NPC), Texas A&M Multicultur
al Greek and A&M Interfrater
nity Council organizations step
routines to perform tonight.
Groups performing include
sororities Pi Beta Phi, Alpha
Delta Pi, Kappa Delta Chi and
Step Show Performers
• Pi Beta Phi
•Alpha Delta Pi
•Kappa Delta Chi
•Chi Omega
•D.J. Flores, Multicultural Svcs.
•Michael Haughey, RHA
•Jeff Hilliard, IFC
•Kendall Kelly, Class of '99
•Kristen Kirby, former NPC pres.
•Brandon Neff, head yell leader
•Laurie Nickel, SBP
•Suzanne Tate, NPC president
•Yvette Urteaga, HPC president
Chi Omega. Student leaders
slated to perform include D.J.
Flores, president of the Depart
ment of Multicultural Services
Council; Michael Haughey,
president of the Residence Hall
Association; Jeff Hilliard, pres
ident of Interfraternity Council;
Kendall Kelly, Class of 1999
president; Kristen Kirby, former
president of NPC; Brandon
Neff, head yell leader for 1998-
1999; Laurie Nickel, student
body president; Suzanne Tate,
president of NPC; and Yvette
Urteaga, president of Hispanic
President’s Council.
Deidra Crawford, NPHC ad
viser, said it was initially diffi
cult to recruit participants be
cause the routines looked
complicated. Crawford said she
would like to see the Aggieland
Stompfest to become a tradi
tion.
“I would love this to be a
new tradition, and we will do
see Greek on Page 2.