THE
n
j.
WEDNESDAY
Februaiy 2, 2000
Volume 106 ~ Issue 82
14 pages
gs raise
isability
areness
Plans for new residence hall approved
BY ANN LOISEL
he Battalion
.i Whitlock, an educational
Iwksyc oloc\ graduate student, uakcs
%. a.in. to the aw ailing arms of a
a»Jni\ersit\ emplo\ee who helps her
*et out of bed. txithe anil groom lor
ter da\ of classes.
Is
^^Htloek. who was diagnosed with
^^Hhral pals\ at birth and is unable
o w
\ Hr! do some things dilTerenlK. I
S tave a bed that raises up and lowers
!J| md a swing on wheels that helps me
jet out orbed,*' she said.
^Vlt's lust what I do like \ on just
I don't e\en consider it as a
sow . e of frustration."
^^^^^^Rtudents experience
dail> tribulations posed by disabil-
such as Whitlock’s, Wednes-
BY RICHARD BRAY
The Battalion
Campus Planning and Facilities has approved planning for a
new $30 million residence hall to replace Law Hall and Puryear
Hall which were torn down in 1995.
The new dorm will be built on Northside near All Faiths
Chapel. Law and Puryear occupied that location before they were
tom down due to structural problems in the foundations.
Ron Sasse, director of Residence Life, said the planning for the
new' residence hall has not yet accounted for size or format.
“Now we will w'ork with Facilities, Planning and Construc
tion and figure out what the residence hall will look like with
student input,” he said. “The only thing that has been decided is
its location."
Julie Cast, Residence 1 lal I Association president and a junior mar
keting major, said student input will be a vital factor in determining
what form the hall takes.
See related opinion column on page 13.
EW RESIDENCE HALL *
PROPOSED LOCATION
this
fhere are really a lot c
hould be a modular,
f ideas being passed around about w hether
ir an apartment style — or something dif-
REUBEN DELUNA/I III l$M
ferent,” Cast said. “But this is going to be around for a long time, and
A&M doesn’t want to build something that the students don’t want.”
Sasse said the new residence hall is being built to better meet
the needs of the growing number of freshmen that are accepted
each year.
“From the input that we have received about not being able to
take care of the number of freshmen, our long term goal has been to
build a hall to house all the incoming freshmen who want to live on
campus,” he said.
Sasse said Residence Life has recognized the need for a new
residence hall since 1995.
“Ever since Law and Puryear were tom down, the Board of Re
gents has asked |Residence Life] to figure out how to replace those
facilities,” Sasse said.
“Input has been coming in, and we finally put in the for
mal request.”
Will Hurd, student body president and a senior computer sci
ence major, said the new residence hall will make it easier for stu
dents to find on-campus housing.
“I think having a residential campus is important,” he said.
“We have about 12,000 spots on campus and 42,000 students.
rAL,ON We usually have some over-assignments, and you have some
people that don’t get the opportunity to live on campus.”
Sasse said the cost of the new residence hall will be be
tween $10 million and $30 million, but the actual cost has not
been decided.
“When we originally submitted our request to Facilities Planning,
we used the figure of $30 million, but realistically, we’re probably
looking closer to the $ 10 million figure than the $30 million figure be
cause of the size of the area,” Sasse said.
Dorm 9 fire investigation raises safety issues
BY BRADY CREEL
The Battalion
ULzaJi
in th
nali:
L
Vly only thought
e hallway for us
m major who wi
ast week's fir
was ‘Oh my God, 1 am going to die.' My
to get up. The smoke w'as coming und<
as in Dorm.Nine when the
at Texas A&M in Knieger !
ov. 2, 1<
roommate got me up and people were yelling
r our door,” David Morefield, a senior jour-
fire broke out, said.
and in the Doherty Building have alerted the campus
I I
1-lot
■i Cash
17
RUBEN OELUNA/I in BaTTAi ion
.day during Disability Awareness
Day, hosted by A&M’s Services of
Students w ith Disabilities.
Eight disability-simulation sta
tions will be set up in the MSC
Flagroom from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.,
each simulating a different type of
disability including hearing,
learning, orthopedic and visual
impairment.
“J think a lot of people are afraid of
peop! rwith disabilities,” Whitlock said.
“Everybody [should come | because the
whole idea is to show people that we’re
just people -1 am not a di sabled person,
I am a person with a disability.”
KlAaron Capps, a junior speech
communication major and full-time
, "* , A& M sign language interpreter, said
the experience may offer students a
much-needed change of perspective.
The main thing that's important
for this campus is to raise awareness
-to help people realize that the dis-
experimef abled are people too,” Capps said.
b "A deaf person just can’t hear,
that's the only difference. With
l ra P r lP er accommodations, any dis-
3l3nC6 a fri 0( j student can be as effective as
station ^ other student.”
Sin addition to the stations. Whit-
alignment a i on g w iih two other students
and three A&M staff members will
discuss their lives and disabilities at
a panel discussion Wednesday at 10
a.m. in Room 206 of the Memorial
Student Center.
^McCain wins in
New Hampshire
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Arizona Sen. John McCain
cofed a landslide victory over George W. Bush on Tuesday in
'lew Hampshire’s leadoff primary, puncturing the aura of in-
vitability that had buoyed the Texan’s drive for the Republican
residential nomination. Vice President A1 Gore staved off a toe-
>toe challenge from Democratic challenger Bill Bradley.
With returns from almost all New Hampshire’s 300 Republi-
an precincts, McCain had 49 percent of the vote compared to 31
707 Texas A^or Bush. Millionaire publisher Steve Forbes was a distant third
113 percent and former Amb. Alan Keyes was at 6.
822 ' McCain’s 18-point margin recast the GOP race for the larg-
r states ahead. 1 le won 10 of the 17 GOP delegates at stake,
lush 5 and Forbes 2.
N i ()f necessity, Bush took the long view, telling the Associated
I'ress, “New Hampshire has long been known as a bump in the
oad for front-runners and this year will be no exception.” Alter
ailing McCain with congratulations,
•Gore was winning 52 percent of the Democratic vote and 13
>y lelegates, Bradley 47 and 9.
; ■ The night’s winners, Gore and McCain, were flying from New
lampshire for middle-of-the-night victory rallies—Gore in New
fork, McCain in South Carolina.
^ Bradley lost badly in Iowa last week and surrendered the lead
— ie once held in New I lampshire polling, but Tuesday night he
■ ^H^lllpunil solace in the narrower margin and he vowed to continue
is challenge.
The vice president cast his victory as a bad omen for Bradley,
udeeJ diose laid-back style and pledges of political reform were tailor
iis coupon. nade for independent-minded voters ofNew Hampshire.
: 1 . Bradley shilled strategy immediately. For weeks he refused
fluToanv« ST( ^,.nd ridiculed Gore’s request for frequent debates, but now falter-
to fire safety issues. Neither fires caused serious damage or resulted in any injuries, and a cause for each
has been found.
According to the University’ Police Department (UPD), the cause of the Dorm 9 fire remains unknown.
Morefield said the most terrifying part of the incident was not knowing where the fire was. As he crawled
closer to the stairwell, the smoke was thicker and the heat was more intense.
“When I got out in the hallway and got to the stairwell, I passed out," Morefield said. “The stairwell
was the only exit, and you didn’t know if you were crawling into or out of the fire.”
One of the last things Morefield remembers about that night
jt . v ,, ..■*] was thinking about his w ife, who was pregnant at the time. One
of his buddies grabbed him to carry’ him down the stairs from
the fourth floor, and the fire alarm finally started sounding —
after almost everyone had evacuated the floor.
The reason for the delayed fire alarm response is only one
of many unanswered questions remaining from the Dorm 9 fire.
Detective Sgt. David Villarreal of UPD said the investiga
tion is still open on the Donn Nine fire.
“The more significant leads, and even remote possibilities,
were followed,” Villarreal said.
“But, they came up with more questions than answers. I have
two possible theories, without any concrete proof at this point.”
“There are a couple of longshot leads that need to be fol
lowed, but we have been swamped with things such as bonfire,”
he said.
“They were lower priority leads and I would like to investi
gate those before shutting the folder completely.”
University officials feel that significant progress has been
made since that incident.
Col. Anthony Groves, assistant commandant for operations
and training, said if the door of the room containing the origin
of the fire had been closed after the cadets evacuated, the dam
age and risk to people would have been reduced significantly.
In response to that fact and directives from the State Fire
Marshal’s office, the University installed devices on doors in
each residence hall room that force doors closed when left open.
Fire-safe doors are being installed on each floor of the cor-
ridor-style dorms (which includes Corps of Cadets housing),
which are designed to create a vertically sealed column in the
stairwell.
The doors are designed to close instantly when the general
fire alarm sounds in the building — blocking smoke and pre
venting oxygen from reaching the fire.
The doors provide a safer escape route for the students evac
uating the building.
“As [the students] are coming down the stairs, if they are hit
in the face with a blanket of smoke, it’s very dangerous,” Dan
Mizer, assistant director of Residence Life, said.
Presently, the doors have been installed in four of the 10 Corps
dorms. The other halls wall receive the upgrade this summer.
Another issue addressed was fire safety training among
cadets.
“The executive officers were charged with doing daily in
spections to ensure we were following up with all the things
See Fire on Page 2.
FILE PHOTO/Tm: Battalion
HSTW'ZF
I ® w 'f 1ft t
fm
Student senate discusses
closing of Aggie Alley
irs
tulips)
jeepted.
if ^ f|li
I
Ai Gore - 53 o/ Q Bill Bradley - 46 %
John McCain - 49%- George W Bosh - 31% Steve Forbes - t4%
REUBEN DELUNA/Thk Battalion
ing on Tuesday night he proposed weekly debates starting Sun
day through March 7, Gore aides said the vice president would
look at the proposal.
Nearly four out of every 10 New Hampshire voters do not de
clare a party affiliation, and these independents were a potent at
traction to insurgent candidates McCain and Bradley in a state
with a proud history of knocking front-runners offstride.
See Primary on Page 2.
BY JEANETTE SIMPSON
The Battalion
Student Senate will address the clos
ing of “Aggie Alley” at Wednesday’s
meeting.
“Aggie Alley,” a parking area behind
Olsen Field open to the general public,
was once a popular place for tailgate par
ties for Texas A&M baseball games.
See related story on page 9
Recently, the athletic department de
cided to close the area and sell tickets to
people wishing to park in “Aggie Alley”
during games.
A new bill, authored by Justin Strick
land, Student Services chair and junior po
litical science major, and Academic Af
fairs Chair Brent Spencer, a senior
microbiology major, is not contesting the
closing of the area to the general public,
but that the athletic department made this
decision without consulting the students.
“The purpose of this bill is a commen
tary to make students aware that the ath
letic department made this decision with
no student input,” Strickland said.
Athletics director Wally Groff said the
decision to close the area and make it
available only to those who buy tickets,
was made out of safety concerns.
“I was not aware that the athletics de
partment needed to involve the students in
order to make decision,” Groff said.
The decision to close the area was
based on the rowdy behavior of some peo
ple in “Aggie Alley” following the Uni
versity of Texas baseball game last year,
Groff said.
“The entire area was out of control.
Many attending the game expressed con
cern, both alumni, and current students,”
Groff said. “This is our response.”
Another resolution authored by Off-
Campus Student Senator David
Kessler, a senior English major, and ten
other student student senators will hon
or former Student Activities Director
Dr. Ben Welch.
“The resolution is a ‘thank you’ aimed
at showing the students’ gratitude toward
Dr. Ben Welch for his contributions as di
rector of student activities,” Brian Min-
yard, speaker of the Student Senate and
senior biochemistry major said. ’
“Dr. Welch provided leadership that
was immensely beneficial to the Student
Activities Department. He was always
working to improve the atmosphere of
student activities, that is why thanking
him for these contributions is important,”
See Senate on Page 2.
•The road
not traveled
|Film festival brings
eclectic works.
Page 3
•Aggies return home
to face bears.
Page 9
•There goes the^
neighbor-
hood. ^
New residence
hall not in
universities.
Listen to 90.0 KAMU-FM
at 1:57 p.m. for details
on Disability Day.
Check out the Battalior:
Online at battalion.
tamu.edu