The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current, November 01, 1999, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    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.