April 27, 2000
Volume 106~ Issue 137
14 pages
excellencr
onfire report release date in question
BY ROLANDO GARCIA
The Battalion
[hen the report detailing the causes of the
'rggie Bonfire collapse is released, students
preoccupied with final exams and most
ill leave town a few days later.
But contrary to wide,-
pre|lcl perception. University
fFiJals said the awkward
mi|g was not by design.
1 “this was not an attempt to keep students
roni being involved,’’said Deputy Director of
Jnhlersity Relations Lane Stephenson. “It was
iven strictly by the work of the commission,”
Linbeck Jr., chairperson of the special
[nission appointed to investigate the collapse,
[he University played no role in setting the
t’s May 2 release date.
IGIE#
“The date was set because that’s when the re
port would be finished. We conducted the inves
tigation as expeditiously and as thoroughly as pos
sible,” Linbeck said.
With the peer review process complete, the in
vestigative teams are now fine-tuning their final re
ports and conclusions, Linbeck added.
Although administrators
will decide the future of bon
fire during the summer when
most students will away from
College Station, Stephenson said an announce
ment would be made following the release of the
report detailing opportunities for students to voice
their opinions.
Andrew Smith, an associate director of the
Student Counseling Service, said the release of
the report could trigger tragic memories and emo
tional reactions for some students.
IFIRE
“It’s a difficult time anyway with finals, and
so we definitely have concerns that this will make
it an even more stressful time for a lot of stu
dents,” Smith said. “It’s tough for people close to
a tragic event when it’s in the news again, and they
have to try to understand and deal with it all.”
Smith added that the Counseling Service
would place an ad in The Battalion to remind stu
dents of the support services available to them.
While the release of the commission’s find
ings come at an inopportune time, Smith said it
will help to bring some closure to those affected
by the tragedy.
“It’s part of the healing process. It’s a necessary
pain, and something we have to face,” Smith said.
In the days and weeks following the report,
more than just the fate of bonfire may hang in the
air. In a January interview with TheBryan-College
Station Eagle, Texas A&M President Dr. Ray M.
Bowen said he will resign if the commission con
cludes the accident was the result of poor leader
ship on the administration's part.
“I personally take responsibility for every
thing that happens at A&M. At the end ofthe day,
the buck stops here,” Bowen said. “I would do
that on a variety of issues. If, for example, there
was a serious financial situation that led back to
my indifference, I would take the responsibility.
How can I say to someone, ‘I want you out of
this job,’ when I’m at the top of that command?
I have to set the standard.”
Stephenson, clarifying Bowen’s comments,
said it was premature to discuss any possible res
ignations.
“The intent of what he said was that if he were
asked to resign, he would, because he serves at
the pleasure of the [Texas A&M] Board of Re
gents,” Stephenson said.
The Special Commission on the
1999 Aggie Bonfire wili release
its report detailing the cause of
the collapse at a press conference
in Reed Rrenaat1:00 PR).
GABBY RUENES/Tm; Battalion
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ELIZABETH O’FARRELL/Tm; Battalion
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promote TAMU Outdoor s high adventure trips.
i*
University offers reward
in Kujawa murder case
STAFF AND WIRE
Texas A&M University and the
Association of Former Students
are offering a reward of up to
$ 10,000 for any useful information
concerning the recent shooting
death ol'Texas A&M student Ker
ry Kujawa. Anyone with helpful
information is encouraged to call
the University Police Department
at (979) 845-2345 and request to
speak with a criminal investigator
about it, said Bob Wiatt, director of
security and University Police.
The Hays County Sheriff’s
Office announced Wednesday
that it has taken the position ofthe
lead investigative agency in the
search for Kujawa’s killer. The
sheriff’s office will also be work
ing in conjunction with the Texas
A&M Police Department and the
Texas Rangers.
The sheriff’s office is holding
a press conference at 10:30 a.m.
in San Marcos.
Kujawa’s funeral is being held
at 10 a.m. today in his hometown
of Richmond, Texas, at the Sa
cred Heart Church.
Kujawa, a junior mechanical
engineering major, was a Nation
al Merit Scholar and was award
ed the President’s Endowed
Scholarship at A&M.
Kujawa is survived by his par
ents, John and Lucille Kujawa,
and his brother, Kraig Kujawa.
Memorial contributions may
be made to Sacred Heart
Catholic Church, “Touch the Fu
ture,” 507 South Fourth Street,
Richmond, Texas, 77469 or the
Kerry J. Kujawa Scholarship
Fund, c/o Pecan Grove Postal,
1860 FM 359, #104, Richmond
Texas, 77469.
Campus roads evaluated
Access taskforce addresses on-, off-campus travel
BY MAUREEN KANE
The Battalion
For freshman Sterling Smith, traveling the
road to achieve a higher education at Texas
A&M University is nothing compared to the
daily journey of driving down its streets.
“On-campus roads can definitely use
some improvements,” said Smith, an envi
ronmental design major. “The main road
coming into campus from Texas Avenue is
not exactly in beautiful shape. As an Aggie,
1 would want visitors to enter campus on a
road that wasn’t as cracked, bumpy or old-
looking. This same comment can be made
for any ofthe roads around campus.”
On-campus road conditions are just one
ofthe complaints ofthe faculty, staff and stu
dents of A&M about traveling on campus
that are addressed in the Campus Access
Task Force’s report.
Other than improving road conditions,
suggestions include improving bike lanes
and bus services, as well as a recommenda
tion to move the railroad that runs along
Wellborn Road.
Also suggested was the creation of “tran
sit hubs” located at key points on main and
West Campus, according to Peter Schulte, a
task force member and senior information
systems major.
“People could park at the transit hubs and
ride the bus to campus,” Schulte said.
Schulte said that one of the main goals of
the Campus Access Task Force is to limit
campus traffic to
buses, University
vehicles and emer
gency vehicles.
The Task Force is
also looking at in
vesting in different
types of vehicles to
suit the needs ofthe
students.
“The Campus
Access Task Force
is looking at the big
picture — taking
into account every
possible problem
that could arise
with transporta
tion,” Schulte said.
Mary Miller,
associate vice pres
ident for adminis
tration and one of
the co-chairs of the Campus Access Task
Force, said, “We are making a recommenda
tion that the University implement a manda
tory transportation fee for students. We
See Access on Page 2.
STUART VILLANUEVA/fiii Battalion
James Foster, a Parking, Traffic and Transportation Services
(PITS) employee directs traffic in front of Parking Area 50.
HA opposes free
newspaper program
BY CYRA GATLING
The Battalion
| •
The Resident Hall Association (RHA)
opposed the implementation of the Texas
College Readership Program, which would
provide students unlimited access to seven
newspapers including The Battalion, The
3ryan-Co//ege Station Eagle, The Dallas
Morning News, The Houston Chronicle,
The New York Times, USA Today and The
Well Street Journal.
“We have disapproved this program un-
we receive further information,” said
|Josh Kaylor, RHA president and a freshman
jeomputer science major.
Currently, the program is in a trial peri-
jod in Krueger, Dunn, Clements and Crock-
ler halls to determine if the distribution of
jthese newspapers should continue and
[move into other residence halls.
The RHA also opposed an $8-$10 per
I student semester room fee increase for the
unlimited access to these newspapers. The
[fees would be required for all students liv-
| ing on campus.
“We do not have enough information to
| support the [fee increase],” Kaylor said.
Surveys designed by the Department of
Student Life Studies were distributed by
hall staff in the trial residence halls. The
data analysis of the surveys was completed
by Student Life Studies.
Only 8.9 percent of the surveys were
completed by residents, and RHA believes
this number is not large enough to ade
quately represent the entire campus.
In other business, the RHA approved
additions to their current officer impeach
ment and removal procedures.
This new procedure requires the RHA
executive officers to conduct a hearing that
will allow all involved parties equal speak
ing time and require RHA officers and an
RHA adviser to be present at the hearing. A
four-fifths vote of the RHA officers is need
ed to remove an officer.
Additionally, the construction of the
West Campus Parking Garage will begin in
December 2000, after the last home foot
ball game, said Sherry Wine, the executive
associate director of Parking, Traffic and
Transportation Services.
The parking garage will have approxi
mately 3,700 spaces and about 2,000 of
those spaces will be for visitors, Wine said.
She said the parking spaces are to ac
commodate resident students first, then
commuter students. A shuttle service will
be available to take on-campus students to
take hack to their halls.
Texas A&M System to allot
$2 billion renovation plan
NSIDE
BY RICHARD BRAY
The Battalion
In order to improve facilities, the Texas A&M Uni
versity System has announced a five-year, $2 billion
capital plan for building renovations and additions.
The plan identifies capital improvement projects
for each of the system's
nine universities, eight
agricultural and engineer
ing agencies and the health
science center, and the plan
includes approved and
pending projects.
Tom Kale, the Texas
A&M System vice chancel
lor for business services,
said the capital plan will
control the flow of money
throughout the system.
“The purpose ofthe cap-
ital plan is to plan for not
only the construction projects but also the cash flow and
how we intend to pay for these things over a period of
time,” he said. “Each of these institutions have various
capital needs and capital requirements over the next
decade, and we need to be able to plan how we’re going
to finance them, where we’re going to get the money and
how the cash flows will work, so it doesn’t put us into
financial difficulty.”
Kale said the funding for the capital plan is provided
“The money comes from
various sources. It comes
from either student fees
or it will come from tu
ition revenue bonds. ..."
— Tom Kale
Texas A&M System vice chancellor
for business services
by a combination of bonds and money from students.
“The money comes from various sources,” he said.
“It comes from either student fees or it will come from
tuition revenue bonds that are authorized by the state
legislature. Some of the projects in the capital plan are
contingent upon appropriations in the next session of
the [state] legislature to these individual institutions
and agencies.”
Kale said the College
Station campus will receive
more than $324 million to
repair campus facilities.
“[The College Station
campus] has proposed pro
jects that range anywhere
from apartment-style resi
dence halls to science build
ings to a lot of physical plant
projects,” he said.
Kale said amounts were
submitted by the universi
ties and then approved by
the A&M System Chancellor Howard Graves.
“The amounts are decided by the institutions them
selves submitting their plans to the chancellor,” he said.
“He looks at those, accepts them and we put them in an
overall capital plan for the system.”
“Graves, released a statement that said ‘This capital
plan is a demonstration of the promising future which
the Texas A&M University System institutions offer the
state of Texas.’”
• No.
Ags head
to Big 12
tourney
• Conversations with The
Batt: American Pie's Shan
non Elizabeth
Page B
• Guarding email privacy
Encryption to find place in new
University directory
^ &
Page 7
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Texas' pollution ratings.
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online at
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