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MONDAY
April 17,2000
Volume 106 ~ Issue 130
12 pages
iMifllill
(i KtliWi =fil * I 1 IJ?I M ^ i i r 4
omstock released
Hnal bonfire victim returns to home in Dallas
itraditions.
“We are not an Aggie family. John
ist went down there, and he is very
the school year, potM
Devin Kealey said.
“It’s alleged this Id
his classroom and said:
til the last week ofsd DALLAS < A1> ) John Comstock,
eoine to be differer: ^ s l 1t ' nt nK)re time 1,1 hospitals than
to co'mc in here witlt ! ' !C *' ( * as a stu dent at Texas A&M Uni
gun,”’Kealey said, wenl home l nda y. live months
asked- Ts this a hijured in the bonfire col-
said ‘YesH that killed 12 young people and
The student canitotil ured
lied under Canadian Comstock was the last Aggie re-
- Tarlier this week ai |' n S hospitalized alter the 1099
the Bowmanvilleareaeti Bonfire collapse. He left Zale
reported receiving : If Y University Hospital at the Um-
lails Investigators weretr®- v ol Texas Southwestern Medical
•mine the source of the after extensive surgery, recov-
\t Oak wood Colle £ 7 aiKlthera Py-
hool in Toronto, a stadr Des P lte the Ioss of P art of hls ieft
r committee canceled at 7’f artial P ara *ysis m his right arm,
mned for Friday due to ld l he P ros P ect of a y ear or more in
•d messages found in ah FfW Comstock said he looks for-
arip t^eturnin^cUh^Univera^^ndj
-phanie Bolton said Thor
fhe first threat appeared
a towel dispenser and
ind April 5 in a bathroon lucl1 for Aggieland and the whole bit,|
“If you thought Coluu:
1. just wait,” the message
Bolton said a bomb
dnesday caused students
nc a half-hour early.
She said school officials
bomb hoax was unrelati
her u ritten threats.
While some parents »t
icd. she said, a parents’grc
ool had expressed supper® BY MAUREEN KANE
dlingofthe situation by tkfi The Battalion
rd and police.
I think they’re reallyprstudents attending Blinn College in
led that a few people ca fryan can now register for classes online,
tits in the lives of so many, Online registration became available on
i. If kpnl 10 for students registering for Summer
sc.iley said all threatsuvsession I.
ously, hut it was unclear if#: According to Gena Parsons, public infor-
reason to fear. nation officer for the Bryan Campus of
‘Who know.''.'It could be Blinn College, the introduction of online reg-
uld be wanting attention, istration should shorten the long lines previ
ously experienced by students attempting to
register. Parsons said the lines are especially
Ms during /ate registration in the fall, be-
and 1 support him in that,” said Dixie Ed
wards, Comstock’s mother.
Comstock, who lives in the Dallas
suburb of Richardson, has begun taking
college classes via the Internet from
A&M’s biomedical-science program.
Comstock said he plans to return to
school in College Station by next spring.
But he would like to make it back to
the University next Friday for the Aggie
tradition of muster, when the names of
absent Aggies are read and Silver Taps is
played for those who have died.
“I’d like to go to see what happens,”
Comstock said.
The 19-year-old freshman was wiring
logs together on the fourth tier of the 59-
foot-high pyramid of logs when it fell,
killing 11 students and one former stu
dent and injuring 27others.
When the wedding-cake pile of
logs began tipping, Comstock
grabbed the logs in front of him and
rode them to the ground. After being
trapped for seven hours under the
logs, Comstock was the last person
pulled from the pile alive.
Dr. Karen Kowalske said Comstock’s
exit from the hospital in a wheelchair was
a big improvement from his arrival.
“When John got here, he came on a
stretcher. He was not able to sit... he had
a feeding tube, and he was not able to use
his right arm or either of his legs,”
Kowalske said.
Comstock is able to get himself out of
bed and into his wheelchair and has
strength in his right elbow and shoulder,
she said.
Comstock will undergo outpatient
therapy at the hospital five times a week.
“I am expecting full recovery with
use of prosthetics,” Comstock said. “I
think as long as I believe it hard enough,
it will happen.”
Neither son nor mother said they
thought the bonfire was unsafe. Com
stock said he did not think the Universi
ty could have prevented the accident.
“I firmly believe the tradition should
continue. We can learn from it,” Com
stock said. But, he added, the structure
would be safer if it were built during day-
Blinn College takes
registration online
Local Mustang GtuHse 20 percent of the 8,184 Blinn students
to host car show /ate.
e Mustang Club d ttof llVivian Jefferson, director of admissions
;y will have a show &r atldrecords for Blinn, said that the long lines
n to 4p.m. Sunday at â–  are only a problem during late registration.
Harvey Road in Collfi *ti‘Whcn a student walks in with late regis-
mers of all Mustanc â–  t ra( j on p a p ers> we S (il] neec j 4g hours to
kTare wJlcome^to'sB 685 those ‘ Late-registering students
be presented to theding in line with students trying to fix
ants. their class schedules create lines and have
more information, ca!®jsed problems in the past,” Jefferson said.
4189 or e-mail
>@aol.com
LINN COLLEGE
BRYAN CAMPUS
>ring Weekend Geta»i|
m $139.00 IncludesT#uN$ : |
k in carly-Check outlatelft 1 *
river view cabins on “I 1
ided and quiet. Across fromScP]
to downtown. A fan
inn Online Registration
information System
(BORIS)
HEOTHBfPW
385 Other Place Drive
New Braunfels, Texas 71
(830) 625-5114
www. theotherplaceresortcW
titvtu.blinncol.edu
The new online registration program,
called Blinn Online Registration and Infor
mation System (BORIS), can be accessed
through Blinn College’s Website, www.blin-
ncol.edu. Once logged on, a student can add
or drop courses, check their current class
schedule, print unofficial transcripts and
change personal information.
According to Parsons, BORIS allows stu
dents to register when their application is
complete, instead of limiting early registra
tion to continuing students with good acade
mic standing. BORIS prohibits students from
registering for courses for which they have
not completed the prerequisite classes.
Jefferson said that online registration is
something that Blinn has been working on
for two years. The board of Blinn College de
cided to try Web-based registration before
telephone registration, but will offer tele
phone registration for the first time in the fall.
“We knew we’d have to go to automated
registration soon because our enrollment has
increased so dramatically. We needed more
than arena registration, which is when every
one comes in and goes from station to station.
All of the staff on the entire
campus works registration, and
we receive complaints from
staff and students who have had
to stand in line. Arena registra
tion isn’t the most effective way
to register,” Jefferson said.
Jefferson added that Blinn is
trying to give students the most
effective options for registration,
so they will continue on-cam
pus registration for those who
prefer it, as well as Web-based
and phone registration in the fall.
Don’t feed the animals
RUBEN DELUNA/I in; Battalion See BORIS Otl Page 12.
JP BEATO/Thk Battalion
College Station residents Alexa, 6, and Marco, 2, give the Easter Bunny a blade of
grass to eat at the 2nd Annual George Bush Presidential Library Easter Egg Roll. There
were several games and events for the children to enjoy, including an egg hunt.
Schulman Theatres
) College Park' ^
www. schulman-theatres coo | jjH
2000 E. 20th St.. Brynn 775-2 J 63
BOX OFFICE OPENS AT 12:30
DF ENGAGEMENT n) QJ1.25 3:501
ROCKOVICH(R) CD 1:003:45
ow Jones, Nasdaq plummet
arkets see largest day, week point drops in history
MUST DIE(PC>I3> HI 1:05* m
'JTOME(pg) CD
TO RUMBLE(pgi3) HI 1:10 3*
[NEW YORK (AP) — If there was a glimmer of good
OeWs in Friday’s catastrophic stock market sell-off, it
Janie in the final hour of trading.
HOLLYWOOD USA
llhe Dow Jones industrial average, down more than
00 points in late afternoon, clawed about 100 points
her by 4 p.m. when the closing bell rang at the New
k Stock Exchange.
“The close was vitally important,” said Gary Kalt-
Jm, chief technical analyst at J.W. Genesis Securities
Boca Raton, Fla. “For several days, we saw selling
k in the last hour as major institutional investors just
[rt out of the way.”
30 @ Earl Rudder Frwy (9)^
□ SPECIAL: The first malinee e*eiy®> ! '
MATINEE: All shows before 5 p** 1 ''
AGGIE TUESDAY: All shows all day T®
SR Late shows: All shows after
Friday and Saturday night SW
ATM IN LOBBY ,
SURROUND SOUND IN ALLAllF
ENGAGEMENT* (R)
) 7:00 9 45 12:35
5 5:00 7:45 10:35
kND WHITE* (R)
5:05 10:00
MUST DIE (R)
10 7:50 10:30 1:10
On Friday, the institutional investors appeared to be
ponsible for the late-hour upturn.
That very modest move higher could have been a sign
t after the worst week in Wall Street histo-
investors are ready to return in search of
gains, some market analysts said. But oth-
[ aren’t as certain investors will be ready to
Inp back in.
The Dow industrials lost a record 805.71
ints, or 7.3 percent, last week, while the
sdaq composite index shed a record
|25.16 points, or 25.3 percent.
Past market dips have given a nation mad
Jim Griffin, chief investment strategist at Aeltus Invest
ment Management in Hartford, Conn.
The market faces several potential roadblocks to a
Monday morning advance. For one thing, margin calls,
which contributed to the steep declines of the past two
weeks, could draw more money from the market.
In recent sessions, brokerages have been calling
clients to demand cash to cover accounts that were
pumped up with borrowed money. In many cases, the
stocks bought on margin are the ones that have been tank
ing, and traders can’t find buyers for those shares to raise
the needed cash.
Some traders said margin calls may have peaked last
week, as brokerages targeted clients that had relatively
See Market on Page 10.
WHERE THEY!
12:102:25 4 8)
RETURN TO (l
11:25 2:M 4:451®'
i,:Sw^/f 0r sto ck investing the chance to buy highly
(arded stocks at more-affordable prices,
rgain-hunting investors were largely re-
ERIN BROKC-j
1:05 4:05
hereoneaH'Bonsible for lifting the market out of steep
directions in 1997 and 1998.
But last week, buyers were hard to find.
the roadrcao® 10 lltter lack of enthusiasm left some ana-
12:202:405$)' fets pessimistic about the market’s chances
Jfime Monday.
“It’s not a funeral. But it is a crisis,” said
The market’s worst days
The Dow and the Nasdaq plunged Friday, suffering their worst point
drops ever. Here are the worst days, in terms of point losses, with the
percentage change for each.
Dow
Nasdaq
Date
Point drop
Date
Point drop
April 14, 2000 ^
617.78
AjDril 14, 2000
r 1 -9-7%
355.49
Oct. 27,1997
554.26
Agril 3, 2000
BISlll -7.6%
349.15
Aug. 31, 1998
| 1 -6.37%
512.61
April 12, 2000
[. , ; H -7.1%
286.27
Oct. 19, 1987
508.00
-22.60%
April 10. 2000
258.25
March 7, 2000
flllll -3.68%
374.47
Jan. 4, 2000
ffUlSfi -5.6%
229.46
Source: Compiled from AP wire reports
Website showcases
professor, class info
BY BRANDIE LIFFICK
The Battalion
A new Website featuring
Texas A&M professors’
grade distributions, drop
rate percentages and student
reviews of professors has
been officially launched.
Pickaprof.com was
formed by two A&M se
niors, Chris Chilek and
John Cunningham. Visitors
to the Website can look up
professors by name or ac
cess a class by name and
course number.
“I think it’s very impor
tant for students to make ed
ucated decisions about what
profs to take. I’ve had expe
riences where I’ve signed up
for classes and had problems
with them. But I was signed
up before I found out that
things weren’t going to
work out,” said Chilek, a
computer science major.
“Pickaprof offers students a
way of being more informed
when choosing classes.”
“Some students want to
take a class with a professor
who will make them learn
the material. Others want a
prof who will give an ‘A,’ ”
said Cunningham, a mar
keting major. “Either way,
by getting a little back
ground information, they
can hopefully find what
they are looking for.”
Cunningham said the on
line evaluations of profes
sors can be beneficial to both
students and professors.
“This will help profes
sors as much as they want
it to help them,” Cunning
ham said. “Professors gen
erally don’t like being cut
down to simply numbers.
That’s why the reviews are
great. Students can express
constructive criticism for
others to see, instead of just
the numbers.”
An anonymous donor
from Austin sponsors the
site. Pickaprof.com current
ly features information
from A&M and the Univer
sity of Texas.
“If the prototypes —
A&M and UT — work out,
then we hope to feature uni
versities from all across the
nation by next fall,” Cun
ningham said.
Cunningham said that
all reviews are kept anony
mous and that either he or
Chilek screen each profes
sor review in an attempt to
keep students from display
ing non-constructive criti
cism on the site.
“We don’t allow in stuff
that is obviously just stu
dents venting personal
vendettas against their pro
fessors. We edit cuss words
and things like that out.”
Since pickaprof.com first
appeared, over 450 reviews
have been submitted.
“We are so excited
about all of the feedback we
are receiving already,”
Chilek said.
Marines
honor
Heard
BY RICHARD BRAY
The Battalion
JP BEATO/The Battalion
John Comstock, the last student rescued from the bonfire collapse an
swers questions at a news conference Friday when he was released
from Zale Lipshy University Hospital. Standing next to him are his moth
er, Dixie Edwards and Dr. Karen Kowalske of UT Southwestern Medical.
light hours and with more supervision.
In three weeks, the Special Commis
sion on the 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse
will issue a fonnal report on its $2 mil-
1 ion inquiry. Some theories to explain the
collapse include a flawed structural de
sign and a weakened centerpole.
“Simply being an of
ficer was not enough for
Christopher Heard. He
wanted to be the best
possible officer he could
possibly be. The three
values of the United
States Marine Corps are
honor, courage and com
mitment. Chris Heard
had all three of these values.”
HEARD
Col. Jim Sachtleben, Marine Corps offi
cer and member of the Class of ’69, spoke
these words in honor of Christopher Heard,
a freshman in Company K-2 of the Corps of
Cadets, during a special Honorary Marine
ceremony Saturday afternoon.
Heard was among the twelve killed in the
1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse.
Sachtleben, a naval science professor at
A&M who submitted the request to have
Heard be named “Honorary Marine,” said it
is difficult to obtain the title of Marine.
“The title of Marine is not bestowed friv
olously, nor is it taken lightly,” he said. “An
individual can only earn the title ‘Marine,’
by finishing training in either San Diego or
Virginia.”
Sachtleben said the presentation of the ti
tle of Marine is one of the most important
moments in a Marine’s career.
“It is nothing we take lightly. We feel so
strongly about it that it is included in one of the
verses of our hymn: ‘First to fight for right and
freedom, and to keep our honor clean, we’re
proud to claim the title. United States Marine.”
During the ceremony, Sachtleben de
scribed several of the qualities that made
Heard worthy of the title “Honorary Marine.”
“By any measure, Christopher Heard was
a United States Marine. He had aspired from
a young age to be an officer of the Marines.
He attended the Marine Military Academy
and graduated there in 1999,” he said.
“At the time of his death he was begin
ning the process of enlisting in the United
States Marine Reserve where he could serve
as an enlisted Marine, go to school at Texas
A&M and pursue a commission through the
[Platoon Leaders Class].”
In the history of the U. S. Marine Corps,
the title “Honorary Marine” has been be
stowed less than 20 times.
The commandant of the Marine Corps,
Gen. James F. Jones, designated Chris Heard
an honorary Marine.
In his letter to Heard’s parents accepting
Heard as an honorary Marine, Gen. Jones
wrote of Heard’s devotion to his country.
“Since 1775, Marines have lived by the
motto ‘Always Faithful,’ ” wrote Jones.
“Christopher’s patriotism was well known,
and his aspirations to serve his country are an
inspiration to us all.”
Heard’s parents, Fes and Andrea, were
presented with a plaque honoring their son
and his commitment to the Corps of Cadets
and the military.
INSIDE
Aqqies shine at
A&M
Invitation
Page 7
• Behind the music
Local bands face many obstacles on
the way to becoming famous
Page 3
.ooking the other
Purdue students
filling to criticize
university but
not themselvesj
Page 1
•Listen to KAMU-FM 90.9 at
1:57 p.m. for details on the
B-CS unemployment rate.
•Check out The Battalion
online at
battalion.tamu.edu
~i |