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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 1999)
AGGIES BOUNCE BACKJ|G4j^J COWBOYS 21-3, Pg. 7 106 YEARS AT TEXAS A&M ION RSITY Monday • November 1, 1999 College Station, Texas Volume 106 • Issue 46 • 12 Pages Crash kills 1, injures 5 Officials suspect driver fell asleep at wheel STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS A one-car crash In Burleson Coun- |y on State High- vay 36 outside of Caldwell left one [Texas Tech stu- jent dead and in- lured five other 'students Friday afternoon. I Eighteen- year-old Michael Houston was pronounced dead the scene. I The five occupants were taken St. Joseph Regional Health Center BURROWS Burrows The injured are: Jay Jackson, 22, of Amarillo, who was treated and released; Darron Banks Jr., 18, of Duncanville; Taimon Mose- ly, 21, of Missouri City; Brandon Smith, 21, of Houston; and Brian Vinson, 20, of Dallas. All were listed in good condition as of Sun day afternoon. All are Texas Tech University engineering students and were in transit to attend the National So ciety of Black Engineers Regional Conference in Houston. Department of Public Safety of ficials said at 1:45 p.m. Friday, the Dodge Durango carrying the six in dividuals drove off a bridge and into Davidson Creek, where it hit a tree in the surrounding dry creek bed. DPS Trooper Ed Carmon said he interviewed the driver of a sec ond vehicle of Tech engineering students which was following the Durango. The driver of the second car said he saw the Durango veer off the highway. He said he sounded his horn but was unsuccessful in getting the lead drivers’ attention. DPS officials have not com pleted the investigation but said they believe the driver fell asleep at the wheel. ore than 200 feared dead in EgyptAir’s crash at sea EGYPTAIR LOGO I BOSTON (AP) — An EgyptAir plane with 214 people ( on board crashed at sea off the island of Nantucket ear ly yesterday on a flight from New York to Egypt. Bodies and wreckage were found in the water. I EgyptAir Flight 990, a Boeing 767, plummeted from radar screens while heading to Cairo on a flight that originated in Los Angeles. I The search was focused in a 36- square-mile area about 60 miles south of Nantucket, Coast Guard officials said at midday. | The ocean in that area is about 270 feet deep. Chief Petty Officer Dennis Hall said. ' Hall said the Coast Guard was still hoping to find survivors amid the debris. “The initial report was we had found seats, seat cushions, the flotation devices on the aircraft, life rafts and some other small parts that are not identifiable,” Coast Guard Rear Adm. Richard M. Larrabee said at a news conference in Boston. 1 More than one body had been found by late morn ing, Robert Kelly, aviation director for Port Authority, which runs New York’s Kennedy airport, said at a news conference in New York. i At a news conference in Cairo, EgyptAir head Mo hammed Fahim Rayan was asked about reports the Federal Aviation Administration had warned his air line abbut a terrorist threat. He said: “We take all pre cautions, and we have plenty of warnings from every body, including the FAA.” I A U.S. intelligence official said at midmorning yester day agencies were pursuing the possibility of sabotage, but “there’s nothing to immediately point toward that.” 1 Another official said there had been no recent threat that seemed relevant to the EgyptAir disappearance. 1 Rayan and Larrabee said they had no knowledge of any SOS from the crew. I “Contact with the plane was cut suddenly, which indicates that something happened suddenly,” Ibrahim el-Dimeiri, Egypt’s minister of transport, com munications and civil aviation, said in Cairo. If Armed security guards routinely fly on EgyptAir flights. After the airline’s passengers go through the nor mal airport security check, they are again subjected to a baggage search just before they board the aircraft. I There were 199 passengers on the flight, including two infants, plus 15 crew members, the airline said. 1 Rayan said the passengers included 62 Egyptians, two Sudanese, three Syrians and one Chilean. There was no record of the nationality of 131 others, and Rayan said he believed some of those were Americans. T Flight 990 took off from New York’s Kennedy Inter- Plane crash at sea An EgyptAir plane plummeted while heading from New York to Cairo on a flight that originated in Los Angeles. The flight left Kennedy International Airport after spending a little more than an hour on the ground. The search was focused in an area about 60 miles south of Nantucket. Leaves Los Angeles 4:53 p.m. PDT Saturday. MASS. L & CONN. R I. EgyptAir flight 990 to Cairo leaves at 1:19 a.m. Sunday. Crash site—. X Search area Source: U.S. Coast Guard: NTSB; FAA: EgyptAir; Los Angeles International Airport AP national Airport at 1:19 a.m. EST and disappeared from radar at 2 a.m. while flying at 33,000 feet, Eliot Brenner, chief spokesperson for the FAA in Washington, said. An official familiar with air traffic control, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said controllers in the Boston Center in Nashua, NH., observed the flight but not directly controlling it, saw the plane when it was at 33,000 feet. The controllers said that during a second radar sweep 12 seconds later, the plane had dropped to 26,600 feet, and in a third sweep 12 seconds later, the plane was at 19,100 feet — a drop of 13,900 feet in 24 seconds. That rate of descent would “indicate the plane was almost out of control,” Michael Barr, head of the aviation safety program at the University of South ern California, said. Barr, a former Navy fighter pilot, said that^ drop-off would equal a descent rate of about 35,000 feet per minute, “and I’ve been in fighters that barely move at that rate.” At the time of the disappearance, the plane was being controlled by the New York Center in Ronkonkoma, N.Y. / Atlantic Kennedy Oc-an International Airport 20 miles 20 km N.Y. Centerpole KENNETH MACDONALD/Thh Baitai ion Senior Red Pots stand on the Centerpole as it is lifted off the the ground and moved onto supports. The Centerpole will be spliced with another pole Friday afternoon. A&M officially unveils center dedicated to alumnus Hagler BY BRADY CREEL ~ The Battalion A vision of hope and opportunity for the future was portrayed Saturday at the official unveiling of the new Jon L. Hagler Center, headquarters of the Texas A&M Foundation. The new building, a $12 million project, is at the intersection of George Bush Drive and Houston Street, across from the Clayton Williams Jr. Alumni Center. It is named in honor of Jon L. Hagler, a 1958 graduate of Texas A&M and current chair of the Foundation’s board of trustees. Inscribed in the limestone walls of Legacy Hall, the building’s most distinctive feature, is a quote from Hagler: “The distinctiveness of this University is real, and it is important, and it is unique. It is our very special destiny to nourish and empower this spirit in the years ahead.” The structure is supported by 75 stone pillars, each of which is engraved with the name of a donor who committed money to make the Foundation’s dream of such a building a reality. Texas A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen spoke at the dedication, describing his unique relationship with Hagler, who was his roommate while they were stu dents at A&M. Bowen said there were many ways to identify the symbolic aspects of the building. “In my view, it represents opportunity,” he said. “It symbolizes the opportunity to provide for our stu dents, and it symbolizes the opportunity for those who attended our -University to give something back. The success of the A&M Foundation in funding scholar ships is the envy of universities all around the coun try, both public and private.” In his address, Bowen said A&M is a University where young minds can mature and reach their full potential. The Jon L. Hagler Center will house the Texas A&M Foun dation, which is responsible for awarding scholarships. “Texas A&M University is a place where dreams are fulfilled,” he said.“Therefore, this building stands for a lot more than simply a place for the Foundation to do its good work. It stands as a re minder of our commitment to the excellence of the University today.” Dr. Eddie J. Davis, president of the Texas A&M Foundation, presented the Hagler family with an orig inal watercolor painting by Benjamin Knox, Class of ’90, in appreciation of their ongoing support and lead ership of the Foundation. “They say a picture is worth a thousand words,” Davis said. “It would take a thousand words for all of us to express our appreciation for what the Haglers have done to lead us in this effort.” Davis explained the unique nature of the structure itself, especially from an aerial view. He said the build ing’s shape has a special significance. “When you look down on this building, it repre sents Varsity’s horns sawed off,” Davis said. INSIDE |Aggielife •Be suave, always Part 1 of 5 in the ‘How to do Stuff Better’ series. Page | Opinion •Taking fame to a new level Columnist discusses Holiywood- Washington merger. Page 11 Sports •A&M Soccer Team ends regular season with 7-0 win over University of Houston Aggies end regular season at 15-4. Page 12.»„.Jr Batt Radio Listen to KAMU-FM 90.9 at 1:57 p.m. for details on an increase in compensation for jury duty. Islamic religion, culture focus of week’s events BY CHRIS CARTER The Battalion Islam Awareness Week, today through Fri day, offers students the opportunity to learn about the Muslim culture and for the Muslim Student Association (MSA) to diminish mis conceptions students might have about the re ligion and its constituents. Mohamed Mostafa, MSA president and an elec trical engineering graduate student, said this pro gram is designed to teach students about Islam. “Many students at A&M don’t know about Is lam,” Mostafa said. “This program is an intro duction to Islam that will also work to clarify some of the stereotypes the media has given Muslims and show how Islam can solve many of the problems in the United States and the world.” Today several cultural displays from around the Muslim world will be featured in the MSC Flagroom and MSC 225 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. There also will be a 15-minute video on Islam. Fajr Miller, a MSA member, said the week’s events are important to inform the general pub lic about the true nature of Islam and that Mus lims are similar to many others in society. Islam Awareness Week Monday Nov. 1 Islamic World Exhibition (displays and free food) ; Rag room and MSC 225 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Tuesday Nov. 2 Women in Islam (panel discussion) MSC292B at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 3 Islam: Humanity's Quest for Peace Rudder 301 at 7:15 p.m. Thursday Nov. 4 Americans for Islam Rudder 510 at 7:15 p.m. ROBERT HYNECEK/tm: Battalion “It is important for others to know about Islam to shed common misconceptions we have been given,” Miller said. “Many times people have ques tions about Islam, but they are afraid to ask them. ” Miller said this event provides people an open forum to learn about Islam and offers oth ers the opportunity to teach about Islam. “People need to learn about other cultures, because ignorance breeds hatred,” Miller said.“Though others may dress differently, or see Islam on Page 2. Interff aternity Council members to meet with University officials Forum organized to discuss Greek groups'problems, solutions BY RICHARD BRAY The Battalion The Interfraternity Council (IFC), the De partment of Student Life and the Department of Student Affairs will conduct a forum tonight to discuss problems and potential so lutions for fraternities at Texas A&M. The forum will be in Rudder Theatre at 7:30 and is open to members of all Uni versity-recognized fraternities. Scott Blackwell, Greek Life adviser, has worked with IFC officers and Office of Greek Life staff to create a pro-active plan. He said the meeting will address the ad versity facing the A&M fraternity system. Dr. J. Malon Southerland, vice president for student affairs and one of the speakers at the forum, said the forum will give fra ternities an opportunity to make decisions about their future at A&M. “[The forum] is essentially an opportu nity for the fraternities to decide if they want a first-class fraternity system at Texas A&M,” he said. “They have established a visioning committee that is going to help start working towards that.” Jeff Hilliard, IFC president and a senior management information systems major, said Southerland and Brent Patterson, di rector of Student Life, will speak, followed by an open discussion about current fra ternity issues. “We’re talking about such things as scholarship and risk management, new- member education, leadership and chal lenging fraternities to live up to the ex pectations that the University and their national organizations have for them,” he said. Blackwell said while some fraternities are embracing the need for change and are taking positive steps, others do not re alize there are problems within the fra ternity system. “There are still some groups that are not understanding the dire need for change given the less tolerant community for irre sponsible behaviors,” he said. “People need to realize that if change doesn’t hap pen, these guys are going to kill what they love [the fraternity system]. ” Hilliard said while fraternities do not al ways have a positive image, the forum is meant to correct some problems within fra ternities at A&M.