Monday, Febnnr THE TUESDAY February 22, 2.000 Volume 106 ~ Issue 96 14 pages * I I»k'l M ^; WI Jl57 student Bonfire statements released ilcohol was present at site day of, crane may have hit stack two days prior to, collapse BY ROLANDO GARCIA AND BRANDIE LIFFICK The Battalion Some of the students in charge of building Bonfire were inking alcohol the night the stack collapsed, several eyewit- I SALUE TURNERTm Bffi: iomore recreation kstreet Boys tickets three finalists to con> split the prizes. :sses told investigators. The statements of 157 student Bonfire workers released onday also reveal an incident two days before the accident latmay have weakened the centerpole, as well as a number fsymptoms indicating an unstable structure in the minutes fore the stack fell the morning of Nov. 18. Derek Woodley, a freshman general studies major, said in is statement that he was working on a swing on third stack hen he noticed a group of redpots and brownpots drinking leeron top of the fourth stack. “They were talking and joking, and there was a little horse- ilay, but nothing dangerous,†Woodley said. Jim Daniel, a freshman biomedical science major, said he aw an initiation ceremony in which a group of brownpots, in- statu conservative Republics measure also would end m China’s trade status.1 : barriers to U.S. goods. .S. trading partneruta l .S.tarilfs formerly^ status but now called "mi ibject to annual review, his as hard as I can. I rat vote 1 can. and I can'lldl! 1 t is,†Clinton said, mnfortahle for nwft™ to alienate labor/WWar n leaders say nocratic support. eluding Jerry Self, one of the 12 victims, were drinking beer on the top of the fourth stack. Toxicology tests following the accident indicated that Self had a blood alcohol level of 0.161 percent. Another victim, Je remy Frampton, had a blood al- cohol level of 0.316 percent. State law says that anyone with a level higher than 0.08 per cent is too intoxicated to drive. Mark Tharp, a freshman polit ical science major, stated he be came aware alcohol was present at the stack site when a redpot threw a mixture of Gatorade and liquor on him from a bottle the redpot was carrying. In other statements, students say several Bonfire workers from Walton Hall were sent home that night because they were drunk. In their statements, the student leaders in charge of Bonfire and the majority of workers say they were not aware of any drink ing at the stack site the night of the accident. However, one redpot, Stephen Unger, a junior interdis ciplinary studies major, refused to give a written statement to investigators and has hired a lawyer to represent him in the matter. According to eyewitnesses, one of the two cranes in op- eration at the site struck the third or fourth stack on Nov. 16, possibly damag ing the centerpole, the log at the center of the stack that serves a critical struc tural support function. “I was on a first-stack swing when we heard a loud erash sound, and I was knocked back on my swing,†said freshman en gineering technology ma jor Vincent Kessler. “'We were told that the crane hit one of the cross-ties. Everyone cussed, shook their heads, and got back to work, but everyone said that it was one of the younger guys working the crane.†Though both cranes were in operation the night the Bonfire "We were told that the crane hit one of the cross-ties. Everyone cussed, shook their heads, and got back to work, but everyone said that it was one of the younger guys working the crane. // — Vincent Kessler was working on first swing on Nov. 16, 1999 stack collapsed, there were no reports of the cranes striking the stack immediately before the accident. The cranes’ operators are required by state law to be certi fied to use the cranes. The students’ statements to investigators also contain a myri ad of clues and observations that foretold die impending disaster. Jonathan Wilson, a sophomore meteorology major, said he was on the third stack about 30 minutes before the collapse when he felt the logs shaking and swaying beneath his feet. “I told this to a junior redpot. and the response 1 got was that when logs are added to the first and second decks, the stack shakes a little,†Wilson said. Several students reported that one side of the stack was overloaded, and the structure, partieularly the part of the cen terpole visible above the fourth stack, was leaning slightly pri or to the collapse. The statements reveal conflicting observations concerning the collapse itself. Some students reported hearing a loud cracking or popping noise, while other did not. Then, most reported seeing the ropes attached to the top of the centerpole snap, as the logs came tum bling down. “I saw the first stack rotate and fall clockwise and the sec ond stack rotated and fell counter-clockwise,†Paul Fulham, a sophomore business administration major, said. Council unveils plans for FHK Bonfire memorial Let’s get ready to rumble BY RICH BRAY The Battalion “In memory of those we lost in the collapse of Bonfire 1999: Michael Eubanks, Jamie I land and Chad Powell. A day never to be forgotten: November 18, 1999.†These are the words that will graee the planned Fowler HughesKeathley (FHK) Complex memorial to the three FHK residents whose lives were taken during the 1999 Aggie Bon fire collapse. “We had a group of people who worked on Bonfire for ifthctut'-oCwar, coitfl4 ^ /5 T ear decide to do something similar to the Law mu dowm with labor I® 1 anc i P ur y ear monuments,†said Arthur Adams, an FHK Bori- meti fire pot and a general studies major. Adams along with Chase Hogan, an FHK Bonfire pot and sophomore biology major, presented the plans for the n Sweeney said, “TIk proposed memorial during the FHK Hall Council meet- himselftobeingstronsi jng Monday. Adams said bronzing for the four-foot memorial, which ivill be placed at the far end of the FHK Complex underneath ilightpost for high visibility, will cost approximately $2,000. He said the hall council would provide the amount by means of fund raising which would take place in several lo- -CIO’s annual winter essions suggested Gore deal is less than e: trade agreements wher Honor Society 22nd s 111 Shop tyles ;8. vailable Fri. 8 - 5 trinorial Student Center j GUY ROGERS/Thi: 1$ vitauon Arthur Adams, a 1999 yellowpot and a sophomore in dustrial distribution major, and Chase Hogan, head crew chief and a sophomore biology major, reveal a proposed Bonfire Memorial to be displayed in the FHK complex. cations across campus. Their goal is to raise the money by the end of the semester, and have enough left over to donate to the Bonfire Relief Fund. See Memorial on Page 2. Tuition costs on the rise BY KENNETH MACDONALD The Battalion If it seems like the cost of a college education continues to rise, that is be cause it does. In the last 20 years, tuition for public and private universities has doubled. The federal government spends $41 lion annually in financial aid, and some U.S. senators are arguing that uni versities are raising tuition prices as more federal aid is approved. Sen. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn, chair man of the Senate Government Affairs Committee, told a group of officials from various universities last week that “it is incumbent on us to lake a serious look at the effect of government spend ing on tuition rates.†Bill Krumm, vice president for fi nance at Texas A&M, said tuition is simply keeping pace with the high cost of running an institution vying for top- 10 status. A&M’s average tuition is $3,167 per semester. In 1999, A&M students received more than $223 million in fi nancial aid. However, the percentage of out-of- pocket money covering total tuition has been steadily decreasing since before 1992, to its current level of less than 60 percent for which students must foot the bill, according to the Office of Student Financial Aid. “Historically through regulation and legislation, prices have been kept down,†Krumm said. “A&M is a great, economical buy. [But] to look like a top-10 school, then we need more state and federal money, and support from industry, donors and students.†See Tuition on Page 2. PATRIC SCHNEIDER/Tm Battalion Sophomore Jeff Duke, an animal science major, and sophomore Tom Benich, an agricultural devel opment major, wrestle in Fish Pond. Honorable change Director seeks to increase available courses id ‘65 :nt Affairs BY KENNETH MACDONALD The Battalion Students at Texas A&M may soon have more of a choice when it comes to honors classes, making the class itself— not trying to get into the honors class —the challenge. As of this Spring 2000 semester, almost 0 students are enrolled in 300 and 400 level honors classes, but that was not enough space to accommodate the total number of people who wanted to participate, according to a memorandum sent to all faculty from the Honors Program. The Honors Program at A&M is begin ning to look for courses to add to its upper levels. The program is now accepting appli cations from faculty for curriculum develop ment grants in an effort to increase the num ber of offerings. Edward Funkhouser, interim executive di rector of the Honors Program, said he wants to see more upper-level honors courses and more colleges and departments develop their own systematic honors programs and offer more courses within their own philosophies. “The advantage to honors classes is that they provide a challenge beyond normal class,†he said. “There is a conception that honors is elitist and exclusionary, but that is not the case. An honors program increases the reputation of the University, [just] as we ben efit from a strong baseball team.†The Honors Program allows students with above a 3.4 cumulative grade point ratio to take honors classes. This would account for about 17 percent of all undergraduates at A&M. The Honors Program plans to target 15 percent of students, Funkhouser said. Rebecca Monk, student representative to the Honors Program and sophomore biomedical science major, said the pro gram needs to increase enrollment be cause more students want to take honors classes, even though the actual numbers may seem misleading. . “In the Fall of‘99, there were 2,615 stu dents taking honors classes and there were only 3,716 seats for all honors classes.†She said these figures may imply plenty of spaces but, considering students may be taking multiple honors classes, it is still evi dence of a deficiency. Monk, who is currently in a neuroscience honors course with 12 people, said she enjoys the smaller classes, and the intimate environ- See Honors on Page 2. Awareness week focuses on students with eating disorders INSIDE BY SARA PROFFITT The Battalion You might not recognize a person with anorexia walk ing across campus — not because baggy clothes hide their skeletal frames — but because many people with anorexia do not have the strength for the walk across campus. Anorexia is only one of the many eating disorders that afreet millions in the United States every year. National Eating Disorders Awareness Week is Feb. 21- 25. Student Health Services, Student Counseling Services and Aggie R.E.A.C.H. are sponsoring a panel discussion and presentation on Tuesday and information tables on eat ing disorders on Monday and Tuesday. According to the National Center for Eating Disorders, the vast majority of those afflicted with eating disorders are young adult women in their twenties, but this does not rule out the possibility of a male acquiring an eating disorder. Although exact percentages are unknown, the center es timates that 10 percent of people suffering from anorexia and 10 to 15 percent of those with bulimia are males. Crystal Crowell, a graduate assistant in nutrition, said anorexia — the starving of one’s self — is the most com monly known eating disorder. Bulimia is eating and then inducing vomiting. Binging is overeating without induced vomiting. Exercise bulimia is eating and then overexercis ing to work it off. Crowell said an estimated 80 percent of college students have binged at one point in time, but exact statistics for in dividual campuses are difficult to obtain. “A lot of people don’t get treated,†Crowell said. “[But] if they do, many go home for treatment.†Margaret Grif fith, Health Educa tion coordinator, said that although binge- ing is the most com mon eating disorder in the United States, bulimia is the most common at A&M. According to the Center for Eat ing Disorders, bu limics may suffer from severe tooth decay and an in- :|F'e2>r'ua.ry 21-25, 2000 Mitionsl Eating Disorltrs Awareness Week ww*.eating- disorders.com Center fer Eating Disorders Website P'sb.. 22, 8:30-9:30 p. S:uad.er SOI Panel Discussien and Presentatien Information Tables on Eating Disorders ROBERT HYNECEK/The Battalion creased susceptibility to esophageal cancer from con stant purging. Anorexics may lose strength and may lack energy to at tend classes or do homework. Eating disorders may not commonly be thought of as psychiatric disorders, but the Center for Eating Disorders reports that eating disorders can be caused by stress, poor self-image, a need to overachieve, need for control or dif- See Anorexia on Page 2 • Conversation with the Batt Roch^gp^rtalks Ht beinepm indepen- flitat*viff Ker - Pa 9 e3 ►Baylor women's basket ball coach Hogg an nounces retirement. Page 9 ft iiAnmUwiiidil W.*t -•HWW. • Stamp of disapproval A&M grasp reaches too many merchandises. Page 1 3 iisT; • Tune into 90.9-FM at 1:57 p.m. for details on filing sessions for B-CS political offices. • Check out The Battalion online at battalion.tamu.edu.