Thursday, j u | y .
Listen to KAMU 90.9 FM at 1:57 p.m.
for details on the sentencing of a former
Bryan pastor.
• Check out The Battalion online at
battalion.tamu.edu.
• Former student
Kyle Kessel
pitches for Express
Weather:
Partly cloudy with a
hiqh of 97 and a low
of 70.
July 24, 2000
Volume 106-Issue 172
6 pages
* *L\ :&Hl\ * I i\ l*i: I Vi =1 I
ox, GTE defend business
rea phone, cable services have other alternatives
Maureen Kane
The Battalion
Some Texas A&M students who plan
1 imoving into an apartment this fall may
H itice few local telephone and cable com-
See related columns on Pg. 5
rung
Bar
mum
Junior elementary education major,
taley Stewart said the lack of familiar
ione service providers in the area pro-
ides an unfair advantage for GTE.
"When I was about to move up here
s summer, I looked in the Bryan-Col-
ge Station (B-CS) telephone book for a
one company, and GTE was the only
ame I knew," Stewart said.
Area services like GTE and Cox Com-
mnications depend on the large student
ppulation in the community for their
usiness, but some students feel the lack
| If well-known phone and cable providers
the area gives the idea that these com-
mies have a monopoly in the B-CS area.
Jeff Riley, operations manager for Bra-
:os Valley Telephone Systems, a GTE com-
etitor, said the customers who think GTE
a monopoly are unaware they have op-
ions when choosing a phone company.
"The consumer just doesn't know there
rreother businesses out there," Riley said.
The customer has a multitude of choices.
Tome, GTE is not a<nonopoly."
Peter Thonis, a GTE service corpora
tion representative, said some regions of
the United States, like B-CS, have only one
dial tone provider. That is the reason the
government regulates them.
"Many incumbent telephone compa
res in the U.S. come from a heritage of be-
ng dominant players in their regions,
vhich often means they were monopo-
ies," Thonis said. "That's why these com-
)anies are regulated by the state and fed-
ral government in terms of price and
ervice quality."
Junior architecture major Art Trombet-
a said the lack of competition for GTE and
nue
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Cox Communications in the B-CS area is
not fair to customers.
"GTE is not going to tell you if the com
petition has something better to offer and
this lack of competition can't be good for
the consumer no matter how it is regulat
ed," Trombetta said. "I think the same
thing goes for Cox cable."
Riley said GTE is the sole dial-tone
provider for the B-CS area.
“The consumer
just doesn't know
there are other
businesses out
there. The con
sumer has a multi
tude of choices. To
me GTE is not a
monopoly"
— Jeff Riley
operations manager
for Brazos Valley Telephone Systems
Dial-tone service means that all of the
phone lines are controlled by GTE, but a
customer can use any telephone company.
"GTE more or less subleases their
lines," Riley said. "They are responsible
for the dial tone from their office to the
customer's house or apartment. There is
not another company in town that actu
ally provides dial-tone service. Just imag
ine the chaos if there were other tele
phone companies putting their cable
everywhere. There is just a complex
number of issues that would have to be
resolved before having other telephone
companies in the area."
Thonis said that despite the assump
tion that GTE is the sole provider in many
areas, GTE still has competition.
"For GTE, now Verizon Communica
tions, this dominant status is increasingly
becoming [less applicable]," Thonis said.
"There are dozens of small local competi
tors and several very large ones, such as
AT&T, SBC and WorldCom, that are be
ginning to compete on a local, national
and global basis. This competition will
continue to increase. They will compete
with us for all telephone customers, and
we will compete with them."
Thonis said competition is good for
GTE because it motivates the company to
provide the best quality for its customers.
"[Competition], of course, is good for
consumers," Thonis said. "It will mean
better service and better value. GTE is
very serious about serving all its cus
tomers well. If we don't, our customers
won't be our customers wherever and
whenever they have choices."
Riley said Brazos Valley Telephone
Systems is one of the few local phone com
panies in Bryan-College Station that com
petes with GTE for residences.
"We are a small competitor of GTE
when it comes to residences," Riley said.
"However, our main customers are
businesses."
Tom Way, general manager of Cox
Communications, said people who call the
‘-Cable company a monopoly are making an
unfair statement.
"As far as saying we have a monopoly,
that is an old cliche," Way said. "We are
certainly not the only game in town. Even
though we are the only hard-wire cable
company in Bryan-College Station, we still
have a lot of competition."
Way said Cox Communications recog
nizes students are a large part of its busi
ness in this area, and it does its best to
serve them.
"We do a lot for students," Way said.
"For instance, we have specials for stu
dents when school starts in the fall. We
certainly try to put out the best deals for
students."
Oops, she did it again
Britney Spears performs at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in Houston Saturday night.
The Britney Spears summer North American tour is in support of her current album.
MyCampusTrade.com launches area-wide auction Website
Anna Bishop
The Battalion
Last year, Ronnie Kirschner, Class of '00,
[aw the need for A&M students to have an ef-
icientway to obtain products, so he launched
iggietrade.com, an Aggie owned and operat-
Int met auction site similar to eBay.
Aggietrade focused on reaching residents of
ie Brazos County and was a success for A&M
indents who wanted to sell textbooks, bikes or
ars, among other things.
Phase two of Kirschner's project began
when he met Koby Brown, Class of ‘97 and
president of Empire Creative, another Aggie
jwned and operated e-company. Kirschner
and Brown formed MyCampusTrade.com,
scheduled to open in late August.
"What began as Aggietrade.com has now
been completely redesigned and enhanced by
a team of Interne- marketing specialists from
Empire Creative," said project manager
Shawn Trevilla.
Kirschner said MyCampusTrade.com is in
the process of creating an auction Website
that will serve Brazos County with all the fea
tures of other large auction houses without
the fees and charges required to buy and sell
items.
"The desire to support fellow Aggies and
make it easier for students to find what they're
C6
What began as Ag
gietrade.com has
now been completely
redesigned and
enhanced ..."
— Shawn Trevilla
project manager
looking for within their community is the dri
ving force behind MyCampusTrade.com,"
Kirschner said.
Like Aggietrade.com, MyCampusTrade.com
will be geared toward University students, aid
ing them in the search for housing, furniture,
books and jobs.
Kirschner said Aggietrade.com users
should be aware that the site will "phase out"
over the next several months. Eventually, users
will be linked automatically to MyCam-
pusTrade.com.
Brown said the site will provide a way for
students to make money by listing items to sell.
Kirschner said MyCampusTrade.com will
be regulated like Aggietrade.com, with a user
agreement and limit on what can and cannot
be sold.
"Like eBay, no firearms or body parts can be
posted as items to sell on
MyCampusTrade.com," Kirschner said.
"The goal of MyCampusTrade.com is to
make the buying and selling transactions as
simple and rewarding as possible," said
Brown, president of Empire Creative.
Kirschner said local auctions will also low
er the final cost of purchase.
"Students and community members can
avoid shipping charges by arranging a pick-up
of the item or items bought within the local
area," Kirschner said.
Kirschner said that although registered users
See Website on Page 2.
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Cheney leads as choice
running mate for Bush
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former
I Sen. John Danforth resurfaced Saturday
night as a Republi
can vice presidential
candidate, joining
former Defense Sec
retary Dick Cheney
| on George W. Bush's
short list. Cheney is
the leading candi
date, a highly placed
Republican official
said as the Texas governor neared his
decision.
Danforth, his wife Sally, and Cheney
— who also heads Bush's search team —
|_
BUSH
met secretly with Bush for a get-to-
know-you session in a Chicago hotel
suite Tuesday, setting aside his oft-stat
ed opposition to serving as vice presi
dent. Republican officials had assumed
Danforth's reluctance disqualified him
from consideration.
Danforth's name surfaced as Arizona
Sen. JoJin McCain's chances appeared to
fade. Two Republican sources, speaking
on condition of anonymity, said the
House Republicans who wrote the Bush
campaign to urge McCain's nomination
had been told in advance that it was too
late for such an effort. The word was re-
See Republican on Page 2.
Fish Camp namesakes chosen, honored
Chris Cunico
The Battalion
Each year 36 members the A&M
community are chosen as Fish Camp
namesakes in honor of their hard
work and dedication.
Established in 1954, the Fish
Camp tradition was founded to in
troduce incoming students to peers
and counselors while helping stu
dents ease into the college envi
ronment.
In the late '70s, A&M began
naming a Fish Camp after faculty,
staff and others involved in the
A&M community who have had a
positive impact on the lives of the
students.
"To be nominated for a namesake,
the professor or faculty member has
demonstrated the ability to maintain
excellent relations with the students,"
said Greg Stanley, a Fish Camp coun
selor and junior biomedical engi
neering major. "A nomination is a
way of acknowledging and honoring
these people for their efforts."
For those who attended A&M and
dedicated time during their school
years to being involved in the Fish
Camp tradition, becoming a name
sake carries sentimental value.
Angela Winkler, adviser for the
Department of Student Activities
and Class of '95, said discovering that
she had been nominated and select
ed for such an honor was a feeling
that she will never forget.
"I always thought the nominees
were people who had done a lot more
for a much longer time, people that
they named buildings after," Winkler
said. "I was shocked and overjoyed to
find I was nominated."
Winkler said Fish Camp is a mul
ti-purpose event.
"I've always thought that Fish
Camp was a fantastic way to honor
faculty and staff for their efforts,
while at the same time providing
freshmen with the notion that there
will always be at least one staff mem
ber there to help them and welcome
them to campus," Winkler said.
Throughout his years of holding
the positions of Fish Camp counselor
and Fish Camp co-chair, Cliff
Dugosh, assistant director for leader
ship training and career development
and Class of '86, has been designated
to speak at over 20 campfires, a time
when the incoming freshman have
the opportunities to share in the ex
periences of the keynote speakers.
Like Winkler, Dugosh has also
been honored as a namesake for the
Class of '04 Fish Camp.
Dugosh has also chosen to be
very active with his counselors,
and he said dinners and weekend
retreats promote teamwork
among the namesakes, counselors
and co-chairs.
"I will attend the last two days of
the camp, not only to see it in action,
but also to meet the freshmen and
get acquainted with them," Dugosh
said. "The camp provides excellent
exposure for the students and an
opportunity to interact with a fac
ulty and staff member if they take
advantage of it."