5309
A2322
v. 105:no.141
WEDNESDAY
June 16 y 1999
Volume 105 • Issue 153 • 6 Pages
College Stationy Texas
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Crash survivor praises
fellow Aggies’ support
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BY NONI SRIDHARA
The Battalion
During a lunchtime interview
from his home while feeding his
grandchildren, Lt. Col. Ray E. Tol
er, director of A&M’s marching
and concert bands, said the posi
tive response from the Aggie com
munity has been phenomenal and
overpowering.
Toler was aboard American
Airlines Flight 1420 when it
crashed in Little Rock, Ark,
Junel. He said he still has to see
one more surgeon before any final
prognosis on his injuries are
made.
Toler said he hopes to return to
work later this week.
He said the support from Aggies
has truly amazed him and meant a
lot to him and his family.
The number of cards, gifts and
flowers Toler has received since the
incident total 500, he estimated.
“I received cards from former
students and from Aggies around
the world. I even received a card
from an Aggie in the Class of ’25,”
Toler said.
He said there were a couple of
Aggies up in Arkansas who sent
gifts to his son’s home.
“This just goes to show the
true Aggie spirit,” he said. “Aggies
will always be there to support
fellow Aggies in a time of need.”
“Aggies will
always be there
to support
fellow Aggies
in a time of
need.”
- LT. COL.
RAY E. TOLER
Toler said prior to the landing
there were talks about diverting
the plane to Memphis.
“As severe as the weather was
in the area, we shouldn’t have
been landing,” he said.
He s.aid there were severe
storms entering the area every 20
seconds.
“When you’re landing at night,
they always have the outside
lights on,” he said. “I was looking
out the window while we were
landing, and the spoilers never
did come up.
“As reported in the newspa
pers, they (the pilot and first of
ficer) did not go through the land
ing checklist properly.”
Toler said it was not until the
plane came to a complete halt
that the rush to the exits began.
He said he was sitting in row 29,
which was across the aisle from
an exit, and the fire had started in
row 18.
By the time the plane came to
a complete standstill, smoke had
begun to fill the entire cabin.
“The door had caved in on top
of the overhead bin where I and
two others were sitting,” he said.
“We tried to head for the back
door exit, but there was a fire at
that end too.
“The three of us together kept
jerking the exit door down so it
would give way, then we jumped
12 to 15 feet to the ground head
first. ”
Toler said after the plane had
stopped it took approximately
four to five minutes for him to
exit the plane.
Forum to examine violence
'i • - ^5
I ; "A
BRADLEY ATCHISON/Tm: Battalion
William Heldenfels, 14, takes pointers on his grip from coach Randy Mann of Clark High School
Tuesday at Texas A&M University’s John Jacobs Golf School. The school, being held this week at
the Polo Fields, hosts 13- to 16-year-old golfers.
BY VERONICA SERRANO
The Battalion
The dean of the College of Education Dr. Jane
Conoley will host a discussion on the many facets of
violence in the nation, such as violence in schools
and the workplace today at 3 p.m. in 292 MSC.
The format of the event, which is presented by
MSC Education Exploration, will allow the audience
to ask questions and comment on the topic following
an introduction made by Conoley.
MSC associate director Deryl Richmond said vio
lence in schools, including the massacres at Littleton
and other small town schools will be part of the dis
cussion, as well as the role adults have played in con
tributing to the destructive climate.
“Adults have proven they are good at violence
themselves,” she said. “It’s not just teenagers.”
She said adults may also face violence in the work
place and said examples include the string of postal
worker shootings that took place a few years ago and
a recent shooting at a La's Vegas grocery store in
which a man shot four workers for unknown reasons.
The way society reacts to violent acts will also be
addressed as well.
“When it (violence) is in inner cities, we don’t
tend to notice even though it happens everyday, but
when it happens in the suburbs, we respond to it,”
Richmond said.
She said society has also chosen to respond by
placing responsibility on gun laws, TV and video
games.
Richmond said the forum is likely to center on ju
venile aggression because school violence is a topic
Conoley has specialized in.
“[The purpose of the forum] is to talk about the sit
uation and to educate ourselves,” Richmond said. “It
may cause us to think more deeply on the issue.”
ollege students Sy ^° ,w - f meni ^M s: Free laundry offered in halls
run higher risk J
of meningitis
BY SUZANNE BRABECK
The Battalion
i According to a study by the Center for Disease Con
sol and Prevention, college freshmen, especially those
^•ving in dormitories, face a higher risk of contracting
y i potentially fatal bacterial infection that may lead to
.meningitis more than others in their age group.
( Y Karen Muehe, a registered nurse at A.P. Beutel
) lealth Center said four people at Texas colleges died
» ist year from this infection.
ij Meningitis is an infection which can cause dan
gerous swelling of the brain and the membranes
/hich enclose the brain and spinal, which are called
teninges.
There are two types of meningitis, bacterial and vi
al. Iviral meningitis is less severe and treated more
asily than bacterial meningitis, also referred to as
leningococcal meningitis, which is spread more eas-
y and has more severe effects on the nervous system,
.ntibiotics are used for treatment.
Both forms of the disease are contracted similarly
^ p the common cold. Germs are diffused through the
V' ir and travel to those close in proximity.
Early symptoms include rash, fever, severe
i^eadache, nausea, vomiting, lethargy and a stiff neck,
tiffness of the neck when bending forward is one of
le key symptoms of meningitis.
6
.1
• Headaches
• Seizures
•Vomiting
•Impaired consciousne
• Stiff neck and back
A pamphlet provided by Beutel reports that since
the early 1990s, there has been an increase in menin
gitis outbreaks in the United States. In fact, the num
ber of cases has nearly doubled among young adults
(15 to 24 years of age) from 1991 to 1996.
“In addition to getting the required shots before en
trance into A&M, it would be a good idea to get a
meningitis vaccination,” Muehe said.
Meningitis vaccinations are available at Beutel for
$57. No appointment is needed to receive a vaccina
tion. Students can go to the check-in desk where they
will be directed to preventive medicine.
Muehe said the vaccinations are safe, but some re
actions may be redness or swelling around the injec
tion site. Students must wait for 20 minutes after their
vaccination to make sure no reactions take place.
If meningitis goes untreated it can cause permanent
hearing loss, brain damage, seizures or death. How
ever, if it is caught early, it is usually curable.
Meningitis is passed through the direct contact of
oral secretions that may be transferred by coughing,
sharing utensils, smoking and kissing.
BY KRISTIN STOCKTON
The Battalion
Five residence halls on the North-
side of campus are offering residents
free use of the laundry facilities as an
incentive to live on campus during
summer school.
The halls are Hotard, Hobby,
Crocker, Moore and Leggett.
Michael Krenz, student devel
opment specialist of the dormito
ries administration, said the pro
gram was implemented last
summer in an attempt to make res
idence halls more desirable to sum
mer school students.
Gerald Smith, associate director
of the dormitories administration,
said the University does not lose any
money with this program.
“You could call it part of a mar
keting strategy to expand services
that are available to summer school
students,” Smith said. “Texas A&M
has a year-long contract with Web
Laundry Services (a nationwide
laundry provider) and we receive a
standard commission throughout
the year. “
He said Web Laundry Services
does this for A&M as a statement of
appreciation.
Web Laundry Services does not
lose money on the program either.
The dorms have fewer residents in
JP BEATO/The Battalion
Freshman business administration major Marla Seargeant gets ready
to do her laundry Tuesday. Five Northside residence halls are offering
free use of laundry facilities this summer.
the summer, so the machines gener
ate less money.
A representative of Web Laundry
Services visits the campus once a
week to check on the condition of the
machines and to collect the money.
“With no money to collect from
each machine, the job takes a lot
less time,” Smith said. “They may
spend one day checking the ma
chines, whereas it usually takes
two or three days”
“If anything, Web {Laundry} Ser
vices saves money. ”