The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, April 14, 1999, Image 1
as is the t; i team hi/ with five,:: J potet/ Gonzalez, tteanc' eeafArt- ' We pitch/' as the Ak. 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.