The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, June 03, 1999, Image 2

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    Page 2 • Thursday, June 3, 1999
News
Till;
Cutting up
ANTHONY DISALVO/The Battalion
Groundskeeper Willie Jackson mows the grass near the Corps of Cadets residence halls Wednesday.
Camps introduce fish to traditions
BY RYAN WEST
The Battalion
Dr. Don Tomlinson, a journalism
professor, said being a namesake for
this summer’s Fish Camp is one of
the highest honors he has received
in his 15 years at Texas A&M.
“It ranks right up there with be
ing promoted to full professor,” he
said.
Tomlinson will be one of 36
honorees from A&M who will be
namesakes this year for Fish
Camp. The camp is being run by
director Joni Martindale, Class of
’98, her seven assistant directors,
74 co-chairs and 900 counselors
for the summer. Because there
will be another large class of in
coming freshman this year. Fish
Camp is expecting around 5,000
applicants to fill 4,750 spots.
Tomlinson said Fish Camp is a
tradition that sets A&M apart from
other places because it is different
from other freshman orientations.
“I was petrified when I started
college,” Tomlinson said. “I knew a
little bit of what the University had
showed us at orientation — like
how to get around the library — but
it was nothing like Fish Camp here
at A&M. ”
Tomlinson said he and his wife
have been involved with the people
from his camp — from dinner and
Putt-Putt to picking strawberries in
Planters ville.
“It’s been great,” he said.
“Then again. I’ve never heard
otherwise from people involved in
Fish Camp. What amazes me is
that other universities haven’t
caught on to this.”
James Nash, assistant director of
facilities for the Department of
Recreational Sports, was a Fish
"Its an honor for us to
be chosen and given
the opportunity to
make such an impact
on their [freshmen's]
college experience
— Jack! Franzen
Camp Hoyle co-chair
Camp namesake last year.
He said he was involved with his
camp by attending many of the
functions and bringing cookies,
chips and brownies out to the camp
site.
“I also told the fish that if they
came by my office after camp and
mentioned the name of my alma
mater, Oklahoma State University, I
would buy them lunch at Free-
bird’s,” Nash said.
Nash still keeps in touch with his
co-chairs and continues to run into
freshmen who were in his camp.
Jacki Franzen, co-chair for Camp
Hoyle this summer and a senior so
ciology major, said her and her part
ner’s main focus is to make Fish
Camp as fun as possible.
“That’s part of our new mission
statement — to create an uncondi
tionally accepting environment for
everyone,” she said. “We want our
freshman to know we’ve been plan
ning for every single one of them.
It’s an honor for us to be chosen
and given the opportunity to make
such an impact on their college ex
perience.”
Cynthia Maus, co-chair for
Camp Jackson this summer and a
senior marketing major, said Fish
Camp makes freshmen see they
are not just attending A&M to
take classes.
“It’s more than that,” she said.
“It’s a family for life.”
Maus said one of her goals this
summer is to make sure the fresh
men do not feel like just a number,
so they know they are not simply
being tossed into a big A&M melt
ing pot.
“We want freshmen to know
that we really do care about them
and their transition here at A&M,”
NUTZ
BY R. DELtr^
L
Zone to open in Novemb
Lower-level seats available for September home of
BY CARRIE BENNETT
The Battalion
Construction on The Zone extension to Kyle Field
will not be complete for the first football game
scheduled for September 18, 1999.
Bill Scott, construction project manager for the
Texas A&M System, said the publicity surrounding
The Zone led people to believe the construction
would be finished before football season began.
“Weather delays and changes in the construction
were some reasons why construction won’t be fin
ished on time,” Scott said.
Marty Garza, senior project manager for Bartlett
Cocke and Class of ’82, said the construction, which
began in March 1998, actually was scheduled to be
gin in December 1997, but due to changes in the
budget and contract, it was delayed four months.
Garza said that had the construction started in De
cember 1997, The Zone would be completed in time
for the 1999 football season.
“Our contract has never said construction must
be completed by the beginning of football season,”
Garza said. “If construction had been started in De
cember [1997], as it was supposed to according to
the proposed bid from Halloween 1997, then [seats
for] football season would be available. ”
Garza said the lower portion of The Zone, includ
ing the goal-line stands and the Zone Club, will be
available for the first football game in September. He
said the two sections hold around 9,500 seats total.
The upper levels, which hold 13,000 seats, will
appear ready from the stands, Garza said. “The seats
will be in place. [But] the facilities, including the rest
rooms and concession stands will not be finished
until November when the upper levels will be
open. ”
Scott said the present budget is close to the orig
inal overall contract budget of $33 million. Changes
were made throughout the project to stay within
budget.
“Some of the work and extras that were taken out
of the project in the beginning due to a lower bud
get were added again because of additional fund
ing,” Scott said.
The construction budget, which does not include
additional fees that may be added, is about $34.4
million.
Garza said as sections of the upper levels become
ready, parts of the Touchdown Terrace armchair and
bench sections might open.
MIKE PUENTES
The Zone, the extension to Kyle Fieldcurr
construction, will not be completed in titr
Texas A&M Football Team’s home openetoi
Miles Marks, executive director ofs%
Foundation, said seats are presently bes^
The Zone.
“We have 9,000 seats to fill, which willel
care of the season ticket holders,” Marks;:
one will be without a seat.”
Shay Scruggs, chief development offcl
12th Man Foundation, said the foundation'l
over 5,000 seats, which are primarilyarmctiij
“The foundation had 8,000 seats to sell j
5,000 we have sold does not include theft!
athletic department has sold,” she said.
B-CS banks prepare for Y
BY SAMEH FAHMY
The Battalion
Y2K specialists at banks in the
Bryan-College Station area said they
have taken the sting out of the Y2K
bug by testing and updating their
computer systems to ensure cus
tomers will be able to successfully
conduct financial transactions after
the year 2000.
Most banks have been working
for years to make their systems Year
2000 compliant.
Glenn Duhon, Y2K coordinator
for First Federal Savings Bank, said
the bank began testing its system in
November 1997. Implementation of
a new network began in March
1998, and testing of the new net
work began in November 1998.
“We had to test everything from
air-conditioning thermostats to the
phones,” he said.
Alan Bruton, Y2K project coordi
nator for First American Bank, said
the bank’s systems were tested indi
vidually as well as for how they
work together as part of a large com
puter network.
Banks in Texas are regulated by
the state and federal government
and are checked for compliance by
the federal government.
Bruton said systems must be
compliant by June 30 or penalties
can be imposed on non-compliant
banks.
Duhon said the bank has
all systems are compliant,bl
has trained employees int-
system falls victim to theYi
Bank employees have
trained to use ledger books,
puter systems fail to work.]!
also will print paper copie
transaction records before
31, 1999.
Banks will also holde.'
serves of cash in case peop
draw large amounts of mow
Bruton said educatingtlrt
can help prevent panic. Her
bank has worked tomaket"
lie aware of their Y2K comply
making pamphlets and otW
mation available to its custo’
more reason to
si
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GRE
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Boiled Crawfish Sm. Crawfish Ettouffee
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105 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Kasie Byers, Editor in chief
Sallie Turner, Managing Editor
Veronica Serrano, Executive Editor
Mark McPherson, Graphics Editor
Riley LaGrone, Aggielife Editor
Doug Shilling, Sports Editor
Matt Webber, Night News Editor
Sallie Turner, Photo Editof
Guy Rogers, Photo Editof
Caleb McDaniel, Opinion-
Veronica Serrano, City ^
Noni Sridhara, Campus£#
Ryan Williams, Web Editof
Kyle Whitacre, Radio Pr° c
Staff Members
City - Carrie Sennet, Sameh Fahmy, Ryan West, Suzanne
Brabeck & Stuart Hutson.
Sports - Jeff Webb, Santosh Venkataraman, Michael
Rodgers, Ruth Stephens & Reece Flood.
Aggielife - Assistant: Stephen Wells; Aaron Meier,
Scott Harris, Brian Fleming & Michael Maddux.
Opinion - Tom Owens, Jeff Becker, Mark Passwaters,
Marc Grether, Chris Huffines, Megan Wright, Aaron
Meier, Beverly Mireles & Ryan Alan Garcia.
Photo - Assistant: JP Beato; Mike Fuentes, Terry
Roberson, Bradley Atchison & Anthony ^
Graphics - Assistant: Mark McPherson; ft
& Michael Wagener.
Cartoonists - Gabriel Ruenes.
Copy Editors - Amy Daugherty, Marium M*’
Mandy Cater Graeber & Aaron Meier.
Page Designers- Manisha Parekh.
Radio - Andrea Bragdon, Paul Breaux, W
Campbell, Francis Fernandez, Jason P^'
Stephen Landin & Logan Youree.
News: The Battalion news department is managed by students at Texas A&M University in the Division of Student Publicatioi 6:
Department of Journalism. News offices are in 013 Reed McDonald Building. Newsroom phone: 845-3313; Fax ift-''
batt@tamvml.tamu.edu; Website: http://battalion.tamu.edu
Advertising Publication of advertising does not imply sponsorship or endorsement by The Battalion. For campus, local, and raix*® ’
tising, call 845-2696. For classified advertising, call 845-0569. Advertising offices are in 015 Reed McDonald, and office howsai**®
Monday through Friday. Fax: 845-2678.
Subscriptions: A part of the Student Services Fee entitles each Texas A&M student to pick up a single copy of The Battalion. Fic
tional copies 254. Mail subscriptions are $60 per school year, $30 for the fall or spring semester and $17.50 for the summer.
card, call 845-2611. '/fj I
The Battauoh (ISSN #1055-4726) is published daily, Monday through Friday during the fall and spring semesters and Monday tlwft .
ing the summer session (except University holidays and exam periods) at Texas A&M University. Periodicals Postage Paid at College Sft
POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Battalion, 015 Reed McDonald Building, Texas A&M Univeisity, College Station, IX 778^
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