’'situation^
M worker
id.
ss, hananli(
^**: t-irr^ ^
-f f\£Z W'lZ Jk D C! *T* TTCV^ Jk €2 A 0L IUI I liyiT%#E7DdT a V N V
Awl# ■ C#1 H.J3p #% R R RS.<^k#%2# #HSRLl w B 1#R^RJLR» URm.ISRJL R
lay'October 15, 1999
College Station, Texas
Volume 106 • Issue 35 • 10 Pages
wittoSnli;
’“'oved tlm
“I and other]
wed the ^
'streets attii
tuf a primeg
“Sly unpot j
Mmyandlj
I'lwlopptfflj
An open invitation
irchitecture, Geology, Geophysics, Multicultural Services departments host events
ueart
ANTABC!
»McMu
statio"
180
' a medivii
being floi
ntarcncot
edMato
vhtch ra
BY JEANETTE SIMPSON
The Battalion
The Texas A&M College of Ar-
hitecture will open its doors to
morrow to welcome parents, stu-
ents and former students to the
angford Architecture Center for
nopen house at 8 a.m.
Because of the scheduled time
jhange for the
&M vs. Kansas
ootball game,
he open house
starting earlier
han planned.
The sched-
iled barbecue
as been re
laced by a
reakfast at
:30 a.m. following an address by
Shomas Regan, dean of the Col-
ege of Architecture.
Cathilee Bird, communica-
ions assistant for College of Ar-
hitecture, said the primary goal
laf-
station,H >1 this event is to give visitors a
Is of Niefc
hance to get to know the col-
ege’s faculty and the specific
irograms.
"The focus is to familiarize
parents and students with how
he programs are run, and give
hem the chance to meet and talk
with faculty and staff that are be
hind the academics of the College
of Architecture,” she said.
Dr. George Rogers, interim de
partment head of Landscape Ar
chitecture, will represent his de
partment.
“The idea is to open up the
building so that parents can see
what their students have been
doing and what is going on
throughout the
college,” he
said.
“This way,
when students
go home and
talking about
things they are
doing, the par
ents have a bet
ter understand
ing of the college, and the
programs their children are in
volved with.”
Visitors will be able to observe
student artwork displayed through
out the center’s first four floors. Fac
ulty art work also will be on display
in the gallery.
“This gives the parents a
chance to see their and other stu
dents’ artwork, and it gives the
students and idea of what to ex
pect as they go through their
prospective degree plans,”
Rogers said.
Ill B \ I l AUON
BY RICHARD BRAY
The Battalion
The Texas A&M Department of
Geology and Geophysics will host
an open house tomorrow from 9
a.m. to 12 p.m. in the Halbouty
Geosciences Building.
The open house will feature
tours of the Halbouty Geosciences
Building Complex,
give visitors the op
portunity to talk to
faculty and help stu
dents learn about ca
reer opportunities.
Also, free rock cores
will be given away.
Andrew Hajash,
head of the Depart
ment of Geology and
Geophysics, said the
goal of the open house is to increase
public awareness of earth science.
“We hope to make metre people
aware of the wide variety of career
opportunities available in earth sci
ence,” he said. “We also hope to
raise public awareness that earth
science is all around us.
“This open house will also allow
people to get a glimpse of what we
do and how exciting studying the
earth can be. ”
Jane Killingsworth, a junior
geophysics major, said the open
house is a great opportunity for
111! luii i j
iimii !> ,t iii la 12 p.m. althe
M.iHuMity Gaascipttces Builtlhm
students to learn what geophysi
cists do and to learn about a pos
sible career choice.
“It will be a great opportunity for
people to come out and see what
geosciences is,” she said. “People
will come out and learn from it and
know what we do.”
Leslie Randolph, Department of
Geology and Geophysics information
representative,
said the open
house was or
ganized to be
held in con
junction with
National Earth
Science Week.
“We would
like people to
become aware
that National
Earth Science Week does exist,”
she said. “The Earth sciences are a
very important part of society.”
Randolph said the open house
will offer a variety of activities avail
able demonstrating some of the
things geophysicists do.
“We will be having building
tours [and] demonstrations of com
puter hardware,” she said.
“We have a stream table [and] a
wave tank we will be doing demos
on. We will have the drilling rig set
up out front,and we will be giving
away pieces of rock core. ”
ROBERT HYNECEK/T he BATTALION
BY MATT LOFTIS
The Battalion
Kim Cosla Chambers, a senior
marketing major at Texas A&M, said
she originally became involved with
the Texas A&M Department of Mul
ticultural Services through aware
ness ventures similar to today’s open
house, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in MSG
026, 137 and 147.
Chambers has
been on the de
partment’s staff
for two years, and
has also been in
volved with the
Southwest Black
Student Leader
ship Conference.
She said stu
dents who attend
events like this can learn how to help
out and see a different side to A&M.
Sandra Medina, communica
tions and outreach coordinator
for the Department of Multicul
tural Services, said the purpose of
the open house is to publicize the
department by inviting the cam
pus community to learn more
about its programs.
She said this year the depart
ment will showcase its multicultur-
alism and diversity library, which
contains books, videos and other re
sources available to students.
“I think it’s just very important for
students to come to the Multicultur
al Center open house so they can di
versify themselves and see another
side of Texas A&M, and the world for
that matter,” Chambers said.
Medina said the open house is
meant not only to offer students
the opportunity to become in
volved in the department and learn
about its resources but also to meet
and get. to know
other students
who want to get
involved.
Katiuska
Quintero, execu
tive director of
Minority Enrich
ment and Devel
opment through
Academic and
Leadership Skills
(MEDALS) and a senior bilingual ed
ucation major, said helping partici
pants get involved with other stu
dents is one of the main purposes of
the department.
“I think it’s [the department] very
important, especially for minority
students, because it gives them a
chance to meet others like them
selves, and it’s also a way to reach
out to minority students,” Quintero
said. “For even students who are not
minorities, it gives them a chance to
meet others and promote diversity. ”
Friday’s open house also will
have free gifts and a cakewalk.
ATTALION
i
H
News in
Brief
id
Regents to discuss
System, litigation
■ ffwfexas A&M University Board
ptegents is holding a special meet-
today at 2:30 p.m. in the MSC.
File board will provide an update
the Texas A&M University Sys-
and its institutions to former
Imbers of the board.
[Possible action to settle a litiga-
matter and an authorization to
ter an employment contract with
ancellor Emeritus Barry B.
ompson at Tarleton State Uni-
r sity will be considered. Other
>ics include the appointment of
Jeputy chancellor, a vice chan-
llorfor planning and system in-
iration and a vice chancellor for
iademic affairs, for the system.
&M participates
i mail call program
Texas A&M’s service organiza-
in Circle K joined other organiza-
nsand individuals in a continua-
in of a Vietnam Mail Call program,
fiends of Our Troops.”
Murray Milford, a Circle K advis-
and a professor and associate
partment head of soil and crop
Fences, said the organization con-
butes service to other events like
ibitat for Humanity, the Big Event
the Boys and Girls Clubs of
erica.
Aggielife
Preventing and curing a
killer disease
Student discusses his-
nother’s struggle
vith breast
ancer.
Page 3
Sports
•No.13 Aggies set to take on
Jay hawks
A&M readies for Saturday.
Page 7
Opinion
The Bill of the
/***-1 Lefts
““ Bradley’s campaign
iCould overtake Gore’s
bid for party’s
nomination.
Page 9
Baft Radio
listen to KAMU-FM 90.9 at
1:57 p.m. for details on a
Prison escape.
Marble marvel
Robert Olsen, a resident of Bryan, creates a marble from glass out
side the MSC Thursday afternoon. It takes Olsen anywhere from
15 minutes to an hour and a half to finish a piece. The marble mak
ing demonstration was presented in conjunction with University
Center galleries.
Oratory contest
focuses on source
of stereotypes
BY ROLANDO GARCIA
The Battalion
Bias in the media was the topic
at the “What’s the Word” Black
Awareness Committee (BAG) ora
torical contest last night, and the
consensus among contestants was
that the media is to blame for per
petuating stereotypes.
Alexis Crittenden, first place
winner of $1,500 and a freshman
speech communication major, said
bias in the media emphasizes
stereotypes.
“All African-Americans are
criminals and drug dealers. All
Caucasians are serial killers, and all
homosexuals are campy and ef
feminate,” she said.“How do I
know this? The media told me.”
Bill Anderson, a contest judge,
MSC Council president and a senior
mechanical engineering major, said
Crittenden won because of the con
tent and delivery of her speech.
“Her opening grabbed the audi
ence,” he said. “Her poise and en
thusiasm for the subject really
came through.”
Crittenden began her speech
with a poem decrying stereotypes
and the prejudice that result, but
ended by urging her audience not to
accept media-induced stereotypes.
“Acceptance plus understand
ing plus change, equals a better
world,” she said.
Crittenden said she chose to be
gin her speech with an emotional
ly-delivered poem to capture the
audience’s attention.
“I’ve been doing oratory since
middle school, and I’ve always had
a flair for the dramatic,” she said.
She said the prize money will
help pay for tuition and textbooks
next semester.
Gerald Sarpy, second place win
ner of $1,000 and a senior journal
ism major, said he used his speech
to focus on the print media and their
role in creating racial stereotypes.
“Fair reporting is being ex
changed for sensationalism,”
Sarpy said.
Sarpy ended his speech by en
couraging newspaper readers to
contact editors when they allow
stereotypes to creep into stories,
and then asked the audience to
stand and join him in chanting “I
will not be a victim.”
Chris Gaines, a senior civil en
gineering major and third place
winner of $750, discussed how the
corporate dominance of media al
lows stereotypes to continue.
“We are fed what the corpora
tions want us to hear,” Gaines
CHAD ADAMS/Tin: Battalion
Alexis Crittenden, delivers her
first-place winning speech last
night as part of the Black Aware
ness Committee’s “What’s the
Word” oratorical contest.
said. “They want to produce a so
ciety where everyone has the
same view of the world, because
that makes it easier to mass-mar
ket their products.”
The judging panel included
Anderson, Student Body Presi
dent Will Hurd, Rodney McClen
don, coordinator for Student Re
tention and Development at the
Multicultural Services Depart
ment, and Becky Petit, the coor
dinator for diversity education at
Multicultural Services.
Luncheon
to celebrate
Bosses’ Day
BY DIANE XAVIER
The Battalion $
The Texas A&M University Associa
tion of Professional Support Staff
(TAPSS) is hosting the ninth annual
Bosses’ Day Luncheon today from 11:30
a.m. to 1 p.m. in MSC 212 through 224
to celebrate National Bosses’ Day.
Lois Mercatoris, TAPSS president, said
National Bosses’ Day gives employees
the opportunity to thank their bosses for
the direction and help they offer.
“It’s a day to honor our bosses,” she
said. “We usually find the faults of our boss
es instead of the good qualities of them.”
TAPSS will award a boss its Member
of the Year award for the second year.
/Bosses’ Day\
I Luncheon
Who: The Texas A&M Association
of Professional Support Staff
When: 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Where: MSC 212 through 224
This award honors bosses at A&M who
support their staffs.
Sharlene Ewald, chair of awards com
mittee, said the award will be given to
one of the nine nominees.
“We had nine outstanding candidates
that were very supportive of their staffs
and their professional development,”
she said. “I think this day is equally [as]
important as Secretary’s Day. This gives
employees the opportunity to really con
sider what kind of boss they have.”
Ewald said the working environment
demands mutual respect between em
ployers. and employees.
see Bosses on Page 2.
Texas Transportation Institute
to get $1 million in federal funds
BY CHRIS CARTER
The Battalion
The Texas A&M University
System and U.S. Rep. Tom De-
Lay, R-Texas, have collaborated
to obtain $1 million in federal
funding for the Texas Trans
portation Institute (TTI) to sup
port present research and to im
plement its results.
Bernie Fette, TTI spokesper
son, said the funding will be
dedicated to the Transporta
tion Research Implementation
Consortium for Operations
and Management (TRICOM).
A portion of the funding will
go toward TTI’s ongoing re
search in intelligent trans
portation systems.
TTI has been a part of the
A&M System since its inception
in 1950 and will receive the
funding in addition to its annu
al budget of $28 million. The in
stitute, based in College Station,
employs over 600 people
statewide. It has become the
largest University-based trans
portation-research organization
in the United States.
Herb Richardson, TTI direc
tor, said the funding would not
have been possible without the
efforts of DeLay.
“We commend Congress
man DeLay for his foresight,”
he said. “He has always worked
diligently to ensure the safest
and most efficient transporta
tion for his nation, and mo
torists everywhere are the ben
eficiaries of his vision.”
During the official an
nouncement of the $1 million,
DeLay said A&M researchers
have made tremendous
progress in applying current
technologies to solve trans
portation problems and im
prove our nation’s mobility.
“This funding will enable
them to continue their impor
tant work, helping to make
travel safer, more efficient and
less costly for motorists every
where,” he said.
TTI is one of three agencies
that compose the A&M Sys
tem Engineering Program
along with two other agen
cies, the Texas Engineering
Extension Service (TEEX) and
the Texas Engineering Experi
ment Station.