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i05 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
TUESDAY
July 6,1999
Volume 105 • Issue 164 • 8 Pages
College Station, Texas
aggielife
• The Brazos Valley Museum
of Natural History showcases
the creatures of the ice age.
PAGE 3
today’s issue
News 6
Battalion Radio
For information about the robbery
of a College Station video-rental
store yesterday, listen to 90.9
KAMU-FM at 1:57 p.m.
opinion
• Leaving graduation early
shows disrespect for fellow
Aggies’ accomplishments.
PAGE 7
Traffic violation leads to three-car collision
JP BF.ATO/Thh Battalion
Officials at the Bryan Police Department said the driver of a Ford Explorer hit a Toyota pickup truck after the driver of the pickup truck
failed to yield at the intersection of FM 2818 and Sandy Point Road Monday. Those involved were taken to St. Joseph Regional Health
Center and Columbia Medical Center. Officials said the people involved suffered only minor cuts and bruises except for the driver of the
pickup truck, who suffered a broken rib.
BY CARRIE BENNETT
The Battalion
Begitvurvg this fah, a new student spon-
ored program called Car Pool Inc. will offer
tudents a safe alternative to potential disas-
er after a weekend night of drinking.
Beginning Sept. 16, Car Pool Inc. will of-fer
untilthf (students a ride home from 10 p.m. until 3 a.m.
r hursday, Friday and Saturday nights. Car
>ool Inc. consists of four directors, 11 leaders
and 132 members,
Angela Winkler, adviser for Car Pool Inc. and
Idviser for student activities, said volunteers went
trough an application and interview process.
“It really impressed me how students came
stry spokHogether and showed such passion for this pro-
Jassal tffflram,” Winkler said,
vas “not I
The program is headquartered in a Planta
tion Oaks apartment donated by the complex.
Two volunteers a night will answer phones.
Each of the seven vehicles used will be
equipped with cell phones and will be dri
ven by two volunteers, one male and one fe
male.
Jeff Schiefelbein, founder-chair of Car Pool
Inc. and a senior marketing major, said the
idea for the project began after he was charged
with DWI on Harvey Road.
In November of 1998, Schiefelbein said he
reluctantly attended a Mother’s Against Drunk
Driving (MADD) victim-impact panel in
which victim’s of drunken drivers and their
families talk about the impact a drunken dri
ver had on their lives.
He said this experience led him to the idea
of the program. His original plan was to tell
his friends to call him on his cell phone, and
he would pick them up if they felt they were
unable to drive.
Schiefelbein said he wanted to use the ex
perience and partnerships he had made
through student government to implement
this program.
Since November, Schiefelbein has been re
searching similar programs at other universi
ties and talking to lawyers and officials to put
this program together.
“The program is not going to be judgmen
tal or look down on students that choose to
drink,” he said. “We just want to provide a
safe ride for anyone that wants one.
see Drive on Page 2.
Officials look
to streamline
graduation
BY RYAN WEST
The Battalion
In response to the number of
people leaving graduation cere
monies early, A&M officials and
student leaders are searching for
ways to restructure the commence
ment events.
see Related Column on Page 7.
This summer’s graduation cere
mony will offer less time between
each of the names called as officials
continue to stress that audience
members stay through the entire
ceremony.
Don Gardner, as
sociate registrar,
said the large num
ber of people de
parting graduation
ceremonies has be
come a major con
cern.
“We would like
for everyone to
treat graduation
like an Aggie foot
ball game,” Gard
ner said. “Leaving
earlf is not fair to
Aggie buddies.”
Gardner said stu
dents leaving gradu- ———
ation ceremonies has been more of
a problem at Reed Arena than
when graduation was held in G.
Rollie White Coliseum. He said
A&M authorities had tighter control
in G. Rollie because graduation of
ficials were able to use their own
ushers and staff. Reed Arena em
ployees are used at ceremonies in
the new facility.
Carroll Albritton, general man
ager of Reed Arena, said that al
though ushers are placed at all ex
its on the lower level, the Reed
Arena staff is not in a position to
'We would like for
everyone to treat
graduation like
an Aggie football
game. Leaving
early is not fair
to Aggie buddies.”
— Don Gardner
Associate registrar
hold anyone there.
“At high-school graduations, au
thorities have more control,”
Albritton said. “But at the college
level, we are dealing with adults.
“We have signs posted that re
quest students stay, but families are
leaving early too, so it’s happening
at both levels.”
Lichar Dillon, Class of ’99, re
ceived his undergraduate diploma
at G. Rollie in 1996 and his master’s
certificate at Reed.
In comparing the two cere
monies, Dillon said people leaving
early did not seem to be as much
of a problem in G. Rollie White as
in Reed Arena.
He said there
were rows of empty
seats within the first
30 minutes of peo
ple walking the
stage at Reed Arena.
Dillon said he
thought if the cere
mony had been
shorter, people
might have stayed.
Bryan Atchi
son, Class of ’98,
said that during
his graduation, he
heard complaints
about the lengthy
ceremony from his family as well
as other people in the audience.
“They need to work on keeping
it short and sweet,” Atchison said.
Student Body President Will
Hurd said if students continue to
leave, the University will have to
drastically change the commence
ment ceremony.
“We’ve talked about holding col
lege-based ceremonies — or maybe
even just mailing out degrees,”
Hurd said. “This means students
see Graduation on Page 2.
le said.
States,
ermany,
a nations
i’s denial!
out
fyWeather brings added insects
BY STUART HUTSON
The Battalion
11 f\u ra * n f a ^ ° ver die past month combined with
I I 111 series of mild winters has led to a rise in mos-
luito and grasshopper'populations in the Brazos
on," Hait'Valley.
g he woil Jim Olson, a professor of medical entomology at
■exas A&M, said the College Station area is cur-
’o saidTently experiencing above-average number of
nan songlflood-water mosquitoes.”
noisoiifl Olson said flood-water mosquitoes do not lay
iieir eggs in standing water like normal mosquitoes
xmt6fe but lay them in damp places where the eggs remain
tat readsIntil they hatch during the next rainfall. He said the
alown-oi’recent cycling of wet and dry weather has caused a
ig andis Woost in the population of the flood-water mosqui
to.
Jithodoxl “It’s like instant mosquitoes,” he said, “Just add
ith inChwater and boom. ”
edRickyf Olson said flood-water mosquitoes usually bite
at Norttffumans more than mosquitoes that lay eggs in still
[ildren in water but tend to transmit fewer diseases such as
lericancfencephalitis, which may lead to flu-like symptoms,
■aralysis and death.
ame bluff He suggests staying away from mosquito-prone
Id andCpreas such as wooded areas and creek beds, espe-
nmanfiiwially during the late afternoon and early evening
/es said, hours.
Asian del: He also suggests keeping mosquitoes from breed-
iversityclpg in backyards by not allowing water to stand in
d, Hayeifa container more than three days and placing “bug-
juslyhuTtappers” for remote areas of the backyard.
1 Raymond Frisbie, head of the Department of En-
Preventing Mosquitoes
(from www.mosquito.org)
1. Do not allow water to accumulate in con
tainers kept outdoors for more than two or
three days.
2. Clean debris from rain gutters and remove
standing water under or around structures, or on
flat roofs.
3. Mow lawns regularly.
4. Destroy or dispose of tin cans, old tires, buck
ets, plastic sheeting and other containers that
are kept outdoors that collect water.
5. irrigate lawns and gardens.
JP BEATO/Tjbi Battalion |
tomology at A&M, said the cricket and grasshopper
populations also have been a nuisance this summer.
Frisbie said the insects are usually killed by the cold
temperatures that occur when winter arrives, but re
cent mild winters have allowed the insects to survive.
He said the increased population has been caus
ing problems all over central Texas where the
grasshoppers eat crops, especially cotton.
see Bugs on Page 2.
ISA to host
Northgate
celebration
BY STUART HUTSON
The Battalion
Racially motivated assaults in Northgate have
sparked Planet Northgate, a joint attempt between
the International Student Association (ISA) and Ag
gies For a Safe Community to facilitate relations be
tween peoples of different cultural backgrounds.
The event will take place on Sep. 10 and 11 in
Northgate on Church Street and College Main.
Suzanne Drolesky, executive director for internation
al programs for students at Texas A&M, said the event
will bring all the communities of A&M together.
“This is just a way of saying to everyone, ‘hey
folks, we are all just human,”’ she said.
Gustavo de Sousa, ISA president, said booths of
fering foods representative of different ethnic groups
along with several booths presenting displays from
a variety of A&M student organizations will be set
up in the Northgate Area.
He also said there will be bands which will play
many different forms of music on' the Northgate
promenade including reggae, salsa, Brazilian sam
ba, meringue and country-and-western.
“We want people to be able to hear the music and
taste the flavor of different cultures,” he said.
CODY WARES/The Battalion
The Texas A&M International Student Association will
present “Planet Northgate,” a diversity celebration
Sept. 10 and 11 at Northgate. *
Holly Doughty, former chair of Whoopstock and
a senior agricultural development major, said such
activities as Planet Northgate and Whoopstock are
needed to further understanding of cultural diversi
ty both on and off campus.
Sousa said Planet Northgate will offer many ways
for an individual to experience aspects of cultures
different from their own.
“We just want to get as many different people to
gether as possible in hopes of teaching them a little
more about cultural diversity.” he said.
He said the early dates in September were chosen
because no A&M football games are scheduled for
that weekend. The event is being sponsored by the
College Station Chamber of Commerce, the College
Station Police Department and the Northgate Busi
ness Association.
Organizations who are interested in having a
booth at the event are encouraged to contact the ISA.