106 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
^■tiay • September 3,1999
College Station, Texas
Volume 106 • Issue 5*14 Pages
k&M researchers clone steer
BY JEANETTE SIMPSON
The Battalion
■ Two scientists at the Texas A&M
Veterinary School have successful
ly Honed a calf from an adult steer,
possibly the first time this proce-
diire has ever been done.
Ba year ago, scientists Mark
Westusin and Jonathon Hill began
research on cloning Chance,
which resulted in the birth of Sec-
omi Chance more than three
weeks ago.
■ This is a major step in cloning
because Second Chance was
cloned from what is believed to be
the oldest animal ever cloned — a
stter named Chance, a 21-year : old
Brahman. Second Chance will be
uled to study the premature aging
of clones.
Dr. H. Richard Adams, dean of
the College of Veterinary Medi
cine, said this research will help
answer more questions about
cloning.
“Today we are celebrating a
small calf, but it is a large piece of
the puzzle," Adams said.
Chance was unable to repro
duce naturally because both dis
eased testicles were removed two
years ago. Cloning Chance
brought back DNA that would
have been otherwise lost forever.
According to a press release,
this research could have an enor
mous impact on the multi-billion
dollar cattle industry in Texas and
in future cloning technologies re
lated to cattle and other animals.
Second Chance was not cloned
from a fetus cell line, as other
clones have been, but from only
the cells of the adult steer.
Westhusin said the calf was
born after six other pregnancies,
some of which were selectively
terminated, while the others
aborted naturally. He said they
wanted to research the develop
ment of the fetus in the different
stages, as compared to a normally
bred fetus.
Second Chance’s markings and
DNA pattern are identical to his fa
ther’s.
Chance’s owners said they
wanted to have him cloned be
cause he was calm, tame and very
unique.
Hill said this is not the first pub
lic appearance Chance has made.
“Chance was great around peo
ple,"Hill said. “He was in several
TV commercials and performed in
the Houston [Livestock Show and]
Rodeo.”
“He also made and appearance
on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay
Leno,”’ he said.
Second Chance has received in
tensive care since birth from vet
erinarians and technicians at the
Texas A&M Large Animal Hospital
and will continue to be monitored
until he is able to function on his
own, or is seven months old.
Once weaned, he will be re
turned to Chance’s owner in La
Grange, Texas.
Hill said although Second
Chance experienced problems at
birth similar to that of the prob
lems premature human babies ex
perience, he is now in good
health.
PHOTO COURTESY OF JEAN WULFSON
Jonathan Hill (left) and Mark Westusin (right) with Second Chance.
A perfect fit
KIMBER HUFF/The Battalion
Tony Stock, a junior construction science major, tries on his senior boots Thursday afternoon with
the help of Cecil Drake, an employee of Holick’s Boot Makers.
Association
collects for
quake victims
BY RACHEL HOLLAND
The Battalion
The Turkish Student Association (TUSA) will col
lect donations tomorrow from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at
the Planet Northgate festival, as part of its effort to
assist victims of the recent earthquake in TUrkey.
In addition to the booth, donations are currently
being accepted at the International Student Services
office in Bizzell Hall East.
Mehrube Mehrubeaglu, project coordinator for
TUSA and an electrical engineering graduate stu
dent, said donations will be given to the TVirkish Red
Crescent Society.
The society, a sister organization to the American
Red Cross, provides immediate needs including shel
ter, blankets and health facilities for the earthquake
victims.
Turkish food and collectibles will also be avail
able at the booth.
“The families of faculty and students in the TUSA
are donating Turkish food and decorative items for
the booth,” Mehrubeaglu said.
First Planet Northgate fest to begin today
f
BY JEANETTE SIMPSON
The Battalion
This weekend Texas A&M students
will have a chance to come together
with the Bryan-College Station com
munity at the first Planet Northgate
sponsored by the International Student
Association (ISA), the Brazos Valley
Millennium Commission, the City of
ollege Station and A&M administra
tive departments.
Tonight at 7 p.m., the first Planet
Northgate festival will begin with an
opening ceremony followed by a per-
formance by the Aggie Wranglers.
■ Jason Royster, chair of Planet
Northgate and a junior political sci
ence major, said the festival is a cele-
7
bration of diversity and will promote
“It is a way for the
University and
community to
strengthen ties”
— Jason Royster
Planet Northgate chair
unity throughout A&M and the com
munity.
“It is a way for the University and
community to strengthen ties that al
ready exist, all the while having fun,”
he said.
The festival will resume tomorrow
at 4 p.m. and will include the talents
of live bands Root 1, Blue Earth, Chris
Wall, Last Free Exit, the Brazilian band
Sambaxe and the salsa - meringue
band Ka-Che.
There will be informational displays
for patrons to learn about various cul
tures, and booths will sell cuisine from
India, China, Brazil and other coun
tries. There will also be tables set up
by local businesses, such as local radio
stations and A&M organizations.
Gustavo de Sousa, president of ISA
and a senior food science major, said
ISA has been working hard to organize
the upcoming event.
“ISA and the [Planet Northgate]
committee have worked hard on Plan
et Northgate,”he said. “It is our mis
sion to promote cultural exchange
among individuals of all nations and
backgrounds in College Station.”
Daniel Sanchez, vice president of fi
nance for ISA and a senior biological
systems engineering and food science
technology major, said in all, ISA
hopes the festival will be two days, of
food, fun and music in which the com
munity can spend time getting to kn®w
each other and the cultures that sur
round A&M.
“They have Carnival in Brazil, Mar-
di Gras in New Orleans, and now there
is Planet Northgate in College Station,”
he said.
INSIDE
aggielife
•Fight for your/jght
Unsuccessful parties
can leave worse
memories than just
the cleanup.
Page 3
sports
•A&M travels to Shreveport
Football team to play season
opener against Louisiana Tech.
Page 5
/99. No
nvelope
fulfilled.
opinion
•Letters from the Lunatic
Memos from sus
pected railway
killer Angel Maturi-
no-Resendiz
should be ignored.
Page 13
new feature
The Battalion now has a daily
crossword puzzle.
Page 6
Student body president sets goals
BY BRADY CREEL
The Battalion
Student Body President Will Hurd and
the Student Government Association have
changes in store for Texas A&M as the
campus and student body travel into the
next century.
Hurd, a senior computer science and in
ternational studies major who took office
in the spring of 1999, said one of his prior
ities for his term is to improve the recruit
ment process of freshmen and upperclass
men.
He said the goal is to coordinate recruit
ing among the various colleges and de
partments, rather than allowing each de-
* partment to gain new prospects on its own.
Hurd said another major objective is to
have a more comprehensive information
resource for students. The Student Gov
ernment Association is working toward
technology that would allow student ac
cess to course syllabi, professor grade dis
tributions and teacher evaluations on the
World Wide Web.
“We’ve been working closely with fac
ulty and academic departments about co
ordinating a Website that paints a picture
of a complete variety of tools to evaluate
teachers and professors and their ability,”
he said.
Hurd said an initiative high on the list
of priorities for this year is to reorganize
the flow of information between Universi
ty committees and student government.
“We want to reorganize in an attempt
to improve two-way communication with
University committees,” he said. “Student
leaders should have an intimate under
standing of University processes and pro
cedures for student government.”
Hurd said he believes reorganizing the
exchange of information between students
and administration will not only improve
issues this year, but will allow future stu
dent government bodies to be more effec
tive in their representation of the students.
“The real issue is to improve our duty
of being the advocates of the students,” he
said.
Hurd said he supports restructuring the
University’s mass transit system to im
prove efficiency in the connection between .
main campus and West Campus. He said
by decreasing the bus cycle time from 15
minutes to eight minutes, students will
find it easier to get back and forth from
classes on West Campus.
A final priority for student government
this year is to refocus of its overall vision
and concentrate on academics.
“Student government will focus more
heavily on academics because that is why
BRADLEY ATCHISON/The Battalion
Student Body President Will Hurd.
we’re here,” he said. “We want to represent
and advocate the 43,000 plus students on
campus, improve effectiveness, increase the
quality of our degrees and also improve the
image of Texas A&M University for the peo
ple outside the Aggie community.”
Where to donate
to earthquake victims
• The Turkish Student Association’s booth at the
Planet Northgate Festival, open from 10 a.m. to 6
p.m. Saturday. 1
• The International Student Services office in
Bizzell Hall East.
“Visitors can leave donations at the booth in ex
change for the food and collectibles.”
“Our aim is to assist in providing shelter to all of
those who lost their homes,” she said.
“People are living in tents. They have lost every
thing.”
According to the ABC News Website, the 7.4
magnitude earthquake left 15,000 dead and 45,000
injured in northwestern Tlirkey and destroyed thou
sands of buildings, leaving 500,000 people homeless
in the city of Izmit.
Mehrubeaglu said TUSA, in coordination with the
International Student Services Association, has col
lected $9,000 through donation tables at Post Oak
Mall, Target, Wal-Mart and .the MSC.
She said support received from the community in
spired members of TUSA to continue their effort.
“Also, this hits home for so many of us,” she
said.
“The telephone lines were overloaded, because
everyone was trying to check on their family.
“I finally managed to get through to my brother
who is studying at the university in Turkey.”
Open House
to bring students,
groups together
BY APRIL YOUNG
The Battalion
The MSC Marketing Team will host the annu
al MSC Open House Sunday from 2 to 6 p.m. to
introduce students to the many diverse organi
zations available for involvement at Texas A&M.
More than 260 recognized student organiza
tions and University departments will be repre
sented, with many providing live entertainment.
Student Body President Will Hurd said Open
House provides a wealth of opportunity in one
location.
“This is the one time every organization can
reach out to students,” he said.
“This is the one time students who want to get
involved can see all the different committees they
can get involved with.”
Hurd said getting students involved in organi
zations is an important component which builds
a sense of community on the campus.
Heath Hendricks, development executive for
Aggie Leaders of Tomorrow and a senior chem
ical engineering major, said making the transi
tion from a high school graduating class of six
to the hustle and bustle of college life was sim
plified by his attendance at Open House.
“In high school, I was never forced to have
good written or communication skills,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today if it weren’t for
getting involved.”
Hendricks said he established valuable friend
ships that will last forever through the organiza
tions he joined after attending Open House.
“I have been in many organizations through
out the years,” Hendricks said.
“The friends I’ve made during my freshman
year are going to be my true friends, I really be
lieve that,” she said.
Michelle Walker, MSC executive director of
marketing and a junior finance major, said Open
House is available to anyone who wants to get in
volved regardless of their situation.
“Whether you have a change of major or
you’re just looking for something to get involved
with, this is a phenomenal resource for student
development,” Walker said.