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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 1, 2001)
i °n- The : : ' eall yconJ he is waf THURSDAY February 1,2001 Volume 107 ~ Issue 85 Section A - 8 pages Section B - 6 pages 'Pk E to A&,\iS! ^nt of (he; -at : personal^ ITrowea liey weredt : -ts of Staff, race, sim: inalion News Radio: 1:57 p.m. KAMI) 90.9 395. iltlren a :l from ft orms below ire standards stives tons ttend sua lea, but thi lust not ir A &M correcting safety issues ■ Rolando Garcia Th< Battalion jlBResidence halls at Texas A&M are h with potential fire hazards and ! 'in code violations, a recent investi- ■ gation found. 116 '• J 1 " a comprehensive safety inspection ias twoco! fyducted last year of all residence halls im tuitio injexas public universities, the state fire i/d lima rshal reported that all schools’ housing tion torlfacililies fall below fire-safety standards, its pay3“No university came out with a Imininiu sterling record,” said Wayne Smith, di lution. I rector of safety inspections with the on is S-state fire marshal’s office. ■ During an inspection from June 5-9, tonly si;officials found a variety of violations in versitytaB Northside residence halls, including wouldtiiw’h chutes without fire sprinklers and multistory buildings with only one exit rot te and lack of emergency lighting. In the event of a fire, students in those halls would have to travel through smoke to ■■ access fire-escape ladders. ipunlRh, |pj re doors intended to block the ad vance of flames through corridors were )ut the prfcpped open. Also, doors to individual ip[)ortufl((m ms are not fire-safety rated because n said they are hoWow and not composed of let sdii solid wood. Smith said. In the Southside residence halls, doors lack self-closing devices and are not fire rated, stairwell doors were propped open and exit corridors were not subdivided into smoke compartments. Inspections of corridor-style halls found similar violations, including stairwells not enclosed with firewalls and doors. The report also identified key fire hazards in the University-owned apart ments, including no fire alarm systems and inoperable smoke detectors. All residence halls had penetrations in firewalls that were not sealed against heat and smoke. Smith said holes were drilled to install cables and wires, but the gaps in the firewalls were never closed. In a subsequent inspection in Octo ber, officials reported that all corrections had been made to the Corps dorms, but minimal progress was being made in other residence halls. “The universities have been very vig orous in working to fix these problems,” Smith said. Chris Meyer, director of the A&M Department of Environmental Health and Safety, said the November 1998 fire in Corps Dorm 9 prompt ed the University to make fix ing the aging corridor-style dorms a priority. Only one room was destroyed, but a ma jority of the building suffered smoke damage. Investigators could not de termine the cause of the fife, but reported several deficien cies in the hall’s fire-safety measures that failed to prevent the spread of flames. In partic ular, the report faulted exposed stairwells and doors without closing devices. “Unless the stairwells are en closed, they act like chimneys and allow heat and smoke to travel throughout the building,” Meyer said. The University is gradually working to correct the long list See Fire on Page 2A. 10 mi A < 1't KIRI Vi 7;W«i' www.lhebaitt.com Hoops for charity BERNARDO GARZA/Tm Battai ion Roderick Guerra, a freshman electrical engineering major, men's service organization, on campus Wednesday after takes a shot at a basketball hoop set up by One Army, a noon. One Army is raising money for United Way. Meningitis vaccines scarce By Brady Creel The Battalion The recent outbreak of bacter ial meningitis in communities sur rounding Houston has increased demand for vaccinations, which was evident Wednesday afternoon when students crowded into the A.P. Beutel Health Center. Students studied, worked crossword puzzles together and visited quietly during the hour- long wait. Only 50 students were lucky enough to receive a dose. Dr. Ann Reed, a head of clini cal services at Beutel, said 100 doses of the vaccination had been ordered, but only 50 were re ceived Wednesday. “We got them at noon, and we were out at 3 p.m.,” Reed said. Dorothy McGee, a registered nurse at the Brazos County De partment of Health, said there have been no reported cases of meningitis in Brazos County since the late 1980s or early 1990s. “As far as any high risk in this area, no, we haven't had anything like that,” McGee said. She said she does not antici pate any kind of epidemic in the Brazos Valley. Many of the students waiting for vaccinations Wednesday real ized they shared something in common — they were from the suburbs north of Houston. Reed said that, although the Houston area has not been classi fied as an epidemic, students whose hometowns are affected might be more concerned about being exposed to the infection. Reed added that there have been no reported episodes of meningitis at A&M. McGee said the vaccine must be taken as a preventative. “For people who have been exposed to [meningitis], the vac cine won’t do them any good,” she said. Reed said the vaccine is limited because manufacturers do not make large quantities unless it is needed, and they must then attempt to keep pace with the demand. “The companies can only See Meningitis on Page 2A. BACTEMAl MENINGITIS - an infectioin of the the fluid sunrounding the spinal cccrd and brain. Vaccination protects' against Type A and C bacterial rrrenincitis. - -— - - SELSO GARCIA/The Battalion Business college considers minors and loci' n’t get W aid. y to stop' t; o the S&j e Texas . ! - 1 WaS .!vB ARATI Bhattacharya anl . e: \^fhe Battalion Cd ^ llk* ie Lowr y Mays College of uiie s^11 business is considering allowing uvlien^ us ^ ness stu dents to select mi- ' lors in addition to their major. ' " ' ■Chad Wagner, speaker of the itudent Senate and a junior po-' il science and history major, there has been a concern ut why business students can- have minors when Aggies in lifter academic colleges can. |T think all students try to Tximize their opportunities |urmg the short time they are s at A&M,” Wagner said, e students see this as an op- tunity to further enhance education.” he business minor was passed in Fall 1999 as a Student Senate bill, then certified by last year’s Student Body Presi dent Will Hurd and then- Speaker of the Student Senate Bryan Minyard. “Now that the bill has been passed through the Senate with our endorsement, we plan to support any initiatives that would be successful,” Wagner said. “This must be done via negotiation and cooperation with Faculty Senate and Acad emic Operations Committee.” Lara Pringle, a member of the Academic Affairs Sub committee for Student Senate and a sophomore business ad ministration major, said the legislation holds a good chance of being passed. “So far, we’ve passed it through the Student Senate and a I think all students try to maximize their opportunities during the short time they are here at A&M.” — Chad Wagner speaker of Student Senate Faculty Senate,” Pringle said. “Now we’ve moved into the business school — there was actually a point where it was al most implemented.” Pringle said that business students are supportive of the minor program and that the process of declaring a minor will be easier if the College of Business cooperates. “Students definitely want it on their resumes because it helps so much,” Pringle said. “Essen tially, business students are tak ing enough hours to have one.” Pringle said the business college has always considered an emphasis in certain areas the equivalent to a minor, but it is not. “I think a minor would be very beneficial to every, busi ness student’s education,” said Barry Hammond, a sophomore business administration major. Wagner is confident the pro gram is feasible. “I think it’s very possible to implement a minor into the busi ness curriculum,” Wagner said. “Of course, nothing will happen overnight, and it will take a lot of cooperation and effort, but everyone wants what’s best for A&M. If we can prove that it’s in the best interest for the busi ness school and A&M, then it will probably go through.” Hammond said a minor will be beneficial to business stu dents who are interested in ar eas other than business. See Minor on Page 2A. 5 EXAS A&M BLACK FORMER STUDENTS tEUNION, lARAMBEE 2001 ding! iponsored by African Studenl Association & MSC Black Awareness Comittee ntact MSC Student Progn fice for more infomati RUBEN DELUNA/The Battai ion By Risha Bryan The Battalion In honor of Black History Month, Texas A&M will host events throughout February to celebrate the history and significant contributions of African- Americans. National recognition of Black His tory Month began in 1976. The her itage and pride continues as some stu dent organizations celebrate the richness and diversity of African- American culture. “Black Awareness Month is a sig nificant tribute to all African-Ameri cans who made accomplishments throughout the nation and the world,” said Everett Brouffard, president of Phi Beta Sigma and a senior economics ma jor. “February is a time for unity be tween all African-Americans and a time for all to learn more about our heritage.” ' A formal reception at the Texas A&M Cushing Memorial Library, “In fulfillment of a Dream: African Amerri cans at Texas A&M University, 1876- 2000,” will open the 2001 Black Former Students Reunion. The reunion will take place Feb. 2- 4 and will feature speakers such as Casey Daniels, an anchor for CNN Headline News, and Donavan Wheat- fall, owner of Computer Innovation Services in Dallas. Daniels and Wheat- fall are both A&M graduates. Texas A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen will begin Saturday’s event with a welcome to a continental break fast at the George Bush Presidential Conference Center and a round-table discussion. The reunion will host a ban quet Saturday evening and a Sunday morning prayer breakfast. Harambee 2001, an event celebrating the unity and diversity of African-Amer icans, is slated to begin Feb. 5 in Rudder Theater. The event includes guest speak er the Rev. Robert Muhammad, a south west representative of Islam, who will lecture on the importance of remember ing African-American heritage. Harambee will showcase a wide ar ray of African-American poetry and per forming talent. “Harambee 2001 is a cel ebration of unity and diversity on campus, and we expect a large turnout from around the community, “ said Wil- metria Simpson, MSC Black Awareness See History on Page 2A. UNT suspends Kappa Alpha Order’s chapter ( AP) — I kindreds of University of North TexasriJN I ) students rallied Wednesday to support the temporary sus pension of a fraternity accused of chanting racial slurs and waving a Confederate battle flag at football recruits. Members of Kappa Alpha Order’s UNTchaplerare ac cused of confronting about 35 mostly black football re cruits who were touring the Denton campus with their par ents over the weekend. University officials have suspended the chapter while they investigate. LaToya Royal, a member oft he tour-leading Eagle An gels. said about 20 men wearing their Greek letters ran down the stairs with a dog wearing a Confederate battle flag bandana and “stopped about 20 feet away and began chanting and singing.” “I heard them say, 'No race from Africa or any other land shall stand against us,’ ” Royal said. The Angels' vice president, UNT junior Colleen Mur phy. said Kappa Alpha members also chanted Saturday, "Let’s march them back to the Southern cotton fields and “Blacks don't belong here.” In a statement released Monday, Kappa Alpha presi dent Matt Spellman said: “Kappa Alpha is a Southern fraternity, not a Confederate fraternity. We celebrate the South as a melting pot of many different and interesting cultures. The members of Kappa Alpha are a very cul turally diverse group." Spellman said the person responsible lor taking the Confederate flag to the event has been dismissed from the organization. One mother who was on the tour told her son he would not attend the university, said Eagle Angels President Adri enne Williams. "Racism is totally inconsistent with UNT's mission.” Non al Pohl. university president, said in a prepared state ment. He promised swift, strong action if the investiga tion confirms impermissible behavior.