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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 28, 1999)
sday • October 28,1999 College Station, Texas Volume 106 • Issue 44 • 14 Pages CARPOOLVS. TAXI CABS -PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY GUY ROGERS AND CHAD ADAMS* BY ERIKA DOERR The Battalion CODY WAGES ! f ;e crystals trapped in cjiiii iryan-College Station taxi companies blaming Caring Aggies ‘R’ Protecting rOur Lives (CARPOOL), a free service red by Texas A&M students, for a de- Sein their weekend business. MEXICO Mexico CityC >etor stream from Villaherwa hat does not happen,wml Ins Penitas still needle fficials can doseihd “We could be lookingti or disaster," JoseLuis^ [ional manager of thessj (order for the National! Commission, said. This week’s water relea^ vater to the rooftops •; J looded homes and busiiffil a used 60,000 people *i» I tayed behind tofleetla SEE RELATED EDITORIAL ON PAGE 13. Balance Yemme, University Taxi owner [a former student, said CARPOOL is atively affecting his business. [Beside Easterwood Airport, Northgate urNo. 2 spot for our clientele,” he said, is one thing if CARPOOL would limit |r services to only A&M students, but it [ears the volunteers are picking up any- [yfrom clubs, not just students.” femme said CARPOOL gives students a |e sense of security. [We want boys and girls to be responsi- jcitizens for the future, but here, with this gram, we are saying, ‘Here’s a free ride pe after getting drunk,’” he said. “What lof education are we giving students?” [eff Schiefelbein, the service’s founder chair and a senior management ma jor, said CARPOOL began in September with the intent of providing a free service to students who need rides home from lo cal bars, clubs and parties. “CARPOOL has a staff of 142 student volunteers and a total of eight vehicles, each consisting of two volunteer drivers, one male and one female,” he said. Schiefelbein said the program is in tended to help students who may be stranded at a party, students who are ine briated, who do not want to drive home with someone who is drunk or feel as if they are driving drowsy. He said the ser vice is a comfortable and sure way of ar riving home safely. Yemme said the focus is not whether students feel more comfortable riding home with CARPOOL volunteers. “Of course, if anyone is giving you something for free, you’re going to feel comfortable in accepting it,” he said. “This program [CARPOOL] is giving students the wrong impression, especially over the sub ject of drinking. Students need to control themselves and act responsibly and not de pend on a free ride home.” Schiefelbein said, that in one instance, CARPOOL gave 131 people rides within two and a half hours, something that is im possible for cab companies. “This is not a negative reflection on any company by any means, but in order to ac complish a [feat such] as this, one needs manpower and vehicles,” he said. “I could n’t be more proud of this program. The vol unteer work can be physically draining, but the volunteers thoroughly enjoy this re warding effort. This program has nothing "Our company cannot compete with the free rides offered by CARPOOL” — Balance Yemme University Taxi owner to do with numbers but with helping peo ple arrive home safely.” Yemme-said surrounding clubs and bars support CARPOOL because it increases sales and lessens their responsibility for those stu dents who leave the premises drunk. “If a student does not have a means to get home and has the money available to get drunk, then the student should also have enough money to find a way home,” he said. “University Taxi has been in ser vice for 10 years. We have three vehicles at Northgate every night, and now our com pany cannot compete with the free rides offered by CARPOOL, therefore we are los ing a large amount of business.” Stephanie Billings, a bartender at Fitzwilly’s Bar and Grill, said bartenders are regulated by the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission (TABC), and CARPOOL does not influence bartenders to serve more al cohol, which is against regulations. “Our job as a bartender is to determine who is and who isn’t legal to drink,” she said. “You have to be TABC-certified to be a bartender. We have to know serving limits. ” Billings said CARPOOL is a beneficial program needed in a college town, where people tend to drink alcohol. Angela Winkler, CARPOOL adviser and Class of ’95, said the program re ceived start-up funding from the Associa tion of Former Students. lec-sports fee hike ay be put to vote On the river, waterfjft , „ . . . i • i in ■: nbihewiihi^fudent Government Association to decide measures are to appear on spring ballot /lore than 60 percent oil (usinesses have closed thei Jozens of merchants alt iverwalk, the city’s prim nercial property, have pi at si nesses up for sale. Britain opt lies onWI LONDON (AP)-Bri te assassination of Ge larshal Erwin Rommel, /odd War II general known esert Fox,” but balked ate ig the plan would arding to files released yes The whereabouts of eadquarters for lander of German forces! The plan called for four om Britain’s Special 0p« Kecutive to attack the he rs, according to the files in ablic Record Office, w iically unseals records, The files said the plot was aned when the informate ter viewed as “so base a plan upon it be the murder of the four mcerned.” Other significant fac noral considerations ii e waning state of Axisfei mines in North Africa anti: e retaliation,” the filessaii Rommel became a id after leading Germany’s arps into battle against; rces in Libya in February i 1 Rommel killed himselfafet 1 iplicated in a plot to ly 1944 and being offeredal taking poison or th threats hanging over his BY ROLANDO GARCIA The Battalion he recreational-sports fee cap double, from $50 to $100 per ester, if students approve the in- tse in a referendum next spring. )ennis Corrington, recreation- ports director, said the plan, ich is still in its preliminary [es, would, with approval from Student Government Associa- , put the fee-cap increase and ictual fee raise on the ballot for it semester’s student-govern- nt elections. the increase would not take ef- before Fall 2001, however, be- se raising fee caps requires ap- val from the State Legislature. Jorrington said a fee of at least is needed to cover unexpect- costs for equipment replace- nt and building depreciation of Student Recreational Center. “The cardiovascular equipment a four-year life cycle,” hesaid. “So treadmills and Stairmasters that re brand-new when the building 'tied in 1995 need to be replaced.” Also, he said money needs to be set aside for high-cost mainte nance replacements over the next few years, including a new roof, air-conditioning system and swimming-pool filtering system. “We didn’t budget well enough when we planned for this build ing,” Corrington said. With 25 percent more users than originally projected, A&M has the busiest student recreational center in the country, he said. Student Body President Will Hurd, a senior computer science major, said a Student Government Association committee is studying the issue and will make a recom mendation in three weeks whether a fee increase should be placed on the ballot. “Raising the fee is one option, but we’re also looking at other funding possibilities,” he said. Corrington said new legislation also will allow the department to increase the sports fee in incre ments of 10 percent or less without approval by a student referendum. “We need the flexibility to “The money which supports our pro gram is not student-fee money,” she said. “CARPOOL is a student-run program, where the volunteers love doing service for other students. ” Winkler said CARPOOL helps keep stu dents and the surrounding roads safe, low ering the risk of drunk or drowsy driving. “CARPOOL is a wonderful program,” she said. “We do not drive anyone to par ties or bars, only to their homes. One can ask the questions [in response to the taxi companies complaints], ‘Do contractors get upset at Habitat for Humanity for building a house?’ or ‘Do lawn manage ments get upset with Big Event for clear ing out brush?”’ Schiefelbein said it would be advanta geous for CARPOOL and taxi businesses to work together. “Using taxi cabs is never discouraged by any of our volunteers,” he said. “There are always ways to work with the taxi companies, possibly putting their numbers on our answering machine dur ing the week for additional services to the students.” see CARPOOL on Page 2. The Clothesline. Project helps viewers see impact of violence ANTHONY DISALVO/The Battalion Beth Perdue, a junior accounting major, works out at the Student Recreation Center Wednesday. make an allowance for inflation or unexpected costs without having to do a student referendum every time,” Corrington said. He said the fee cap may be as high as $125, because all Texas A&M University System schools must abide by the cap, and some schools with smaller enrollments may need a higher fee to maintain their facilities. Corrington said, the requested fee increase also may be higher than $63 if improvements need ed to intramural sports fields are included. BY JULIE ZUCKER The Battalion A visual display bearing witness to domestic violence and violence against women can be seen today and tomorrow in the MSC Flagroom. Shaun Travers, Gender Issues Ed ucation Services (GIES) coordinator, said the Clothesline Project is coordi nated by Aggies Working for a Rape- Free Environment (AWARE), GIES staff and volunteers to raise campus awareness of domestic violence. “The Clothesline Project hits home visually, taking the viewer a step fur ther towards comprehending the sheer numbers and powerful impact domestic violence against women has on our society,” Travers said. The Clothesline Project was began in 1990 by the Cape Cod Massachu setts Women’s Agenda in answer to statistics compiled by the Maryland Men’s Anti-Rape Resource Center. Statistics from the Maryland Men’s Anti-Rape Resource Center showed during the Vietnam War, 16 years, 51,000 women in the United States were murdered by their husbands or lovers compared to the 58,000 U.S. soldier who perished in the war. When the group visited the Viet nam Memorial, they asked them selves where their wall was. The an swer they got was “nowhere.” The group says their war has not ended. Rachel Carsey-Harper, a member of the Cape Cod Massachusetts Women’s Agenda, started the pro gram so women could speak out about the wrongs made against them. Travers said the purpose of the Clothesline project is three-fold: it bears witness to the survivors as well as the victims of domestic violence and violence against women aids the healing process for people who have lost a loved one, and to educate, doc ument and raise awareness of do mestic violence and violence against women on campus. The clothesline holds T-shirts cre ated by victims, their friends and oth ers who want to support awareness. Each shirt is decorated to represent a particular victim’s experiences. Travers said volunteers from Phoebe’s Home, a local domestic-vi olence shelter, as well as individual Where: MSC Flagroom When: Today and tomorrow Sponsored by GIES and AWAKE GUY ROGERS/The Battalion victims and women’s residence halls have brought shirts to display. Bethany Waldron, a senior speech communication major, said she vol unteered because it is a unique way to get the message across to the campus. “I feel this is a very worthwhile thing to do,” she said. “This is differ ent. People are tired of hearing statis tics. This way we can hear the victim’s story and voice. It is all very moving. ” “Violence happens more than we think,” she said. “As a campus, we need to come together and not turn our heads the other way. It is also very im portant to know men are victims, too. It is a common misconception this only happens to women and children.” TVavers said survivors of violence are often trapped in silence about their experiences, but the Clothesline Project shatters the silence. Waldron said it is important vic tims speak out. “Whether they talk to the police or not, they need to speak to someone,” she said. “It will be more destructive to keep it bottled up.” INSIDE t- FreeAcIi' 1 ‘Access® 1 ‘Calling 1 pager airtime PrimeCophcmi^. tma’iff 3.95 ^ i genetics can “ALTERAIDNS" |wemoral BY BEA CUSTOM ALTERATIONS ma 1982 ALTERATIONS FOR ALL TORN®! REASONABLE RATES ■ PROFESSIONS 1409 HARVEY I Aggielife •What would you do for a 4.0? Students who value grades above all else. Page 3 Sports Ags down ’Horns in 4 games Jlleyball Team defeats No. 9 niversity of Texas. Page 9 Opinion DNA made me do it todern-day findings esponsibility, «come source 'f blame. Page 13 Batt Radio 'Stento KAMU-FM 90.9 at 1:57 ACROSS FROM POSTOAKP ‘T for details on a judge who LISH JOBS 693-7228 WEtu 1 )le ad guilty to a trespassing. Governor speaks on struggles BY DIANE XAVIER The Battalion For Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, being elected was not the happiest mo ment of his gubanatorial role, because being a Republican in a largely Democ rat state caused him to be confronted with many hostilities. His secretary of state refused to let him occupy his office until the 60th day of his tenure. “I had the door shut in my face for 59 days after my victory,” Huckabee said. “When I finally got through, I had that pressure to produce and make a differ ence for the people. ” Huckabee, the fourth Republican in his tory to be elected governor of Arkansas, spoke on the need for members of gov ernment to take a more personal and moral role in governing to a full house in Rudder Auditorium last night. Huckabee said the goal of govern ment is to make a difference in people’s CODY WAGES/Thk Battalion Mike Huckabee, governor of Arkansas, speaks Wednesday night on government in America in Rudder Auditorium. lives, to facilitate rather than complicate the establishment. “America doesn’t need great politi cians but is in desperate need of good models with great principles,” he said. “Being a governor, you come across a lot of people who tell you that they want tax es cut, crime eliminated and welfare end ed. What they don’t realize is that these problems don’t get solved overnight. It takes a long process and a lot of hard work from everyone to achieve this.” Huckabee said one of the reasons crime, welfare and tax burdens are still issues is because of man’s egotistical motives. “We are, by nature, selfish as human beings,” he said. “Sin is an T problem. Our selfishness is innate and very much a core of us. Many times, we have this at titude of ‘If it only helps me or doesn’t hurt me, than I’m for it.’ Once we start see Governor on Page 2. A&M to honor longtime staff BY RICHARD BRAY The Battalion Texas A&M University and the Association of For mer Students will recognize faculty and staff who have given 20 to 50 years of service to the University with award pins in the Years of Service Awards Program tonight at 10 in Rudder Theater. Susan Irza, human resources director, said the pro gram will recognize 264 faculty and staff members. The pins contain four garnets for 20 years, one di amond for 25 years, one diamond and one garnet for 30 years, one diamond and two garnets for 35 years, one diamond and three garnets for 40 years, one di amond and four garnets for 45 years and two dia monds for 50 years. Eligibility for the award is based on service to A&M. According to the human resources department, “el igible recipients must be employed at least 50 percent of the time, some portion of which must be with Texas A&M University, and the employee is considered to be a ‘University employee.’” Jackie Caruso, associate director of human re sources, said the program is designed to “recognize the many contributions of these individuals in their ser vice to Texas A&M.” A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen said the Years of Service see Staff on Page 2.