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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 2, 2001)
FRIDAY February 2, 2001 Volume 107 ~ Issue 86 8 pages ttalion News Radio: 1:57 p.m. KAMU 90.9 wm'i ;l~WA A1liJk'l k T i ^ i id www.thebatt.conn irds on ampus ause oncern ■jkssi Stephenson Vbt Battalion ■Students walking past the Student reation Center are wading hr< ugh more than traffic. Despite the dniversity’s best efforts, birds con- inue to blanket parts of West Campus yit i feces. ■Charles Sippial, vice president for idniinistration, said that although mea- >ures to solve the problem are being ;akui, he was “not too optimistic” they ivill work. ■One option being considered is a de- Vide that imitates the cries of birds of pray, like hawks. A similar method wa^ tried in the past but only worked ton a short period of time. The device driv es the birds from one location to another, and they become accustomed [p.jhc noise and learn to ignore it. ■In the meantime, officials will em ploy noisemakers called “screamers.” ■Screamers behave much like fire works. They are supposed to startle :he birds and cause them to roost else where. ■ Noisemakers that sound like gun- ihots will also be used each day be- dnning about 5 p.m. — the birds’ pri- mry roosting time. The noisemakers will be used on main campus and West Campus. §1 This strategy was employed during he winter break and has been the nost effective way of dealing with the iroblem, said Tura King, a Universi- y spokeswoman with University Re- ations. ■Forrest Lane, student body presi- ient and a senior political science ma- or. has also heard complaints from stu dents. He said putting nets on the trees las been considered as a possible long- :erm solution. ■Eliminating the birds is not an op- ion. The birds are protected migrato ry animals, Sippial said, and experts ;xpect them to leave the area some fS See Birds on Page 8. ANDY HANCOCK/The Battalion The University has tried several tactics to keep the birds away from campus. Reach for the stars STUART VILLANUEVA/Thi Battalion Nelida Lara, a sophomore economics major, stretches her muscles at the bar during her advanced bal let class on Monday. Rec center could run at a deficit Exhibit honors black history Cushing collection shows African-American contributions By Brandie Liffick The Battalion The history of African-Americans at Texas A&M will be presented in an ex hibit opening Saturday at the Cushing Library. Titled “In Fulfillment of a Dream: African-Americans at Texas A&M Uni versity, 1876-2000,” the exhibit will be open to the public for viewing through June during the regular operation hours of Cushing Library. “The exhibit shows the activities of African-Americans at Texas A&M since 1876,” said Angus Martin, reference archivist at Cushing Library and curator of the exhibit. ' The exhibit includes a time line of events, artifacts and several panels fea turing information on individuals and their contributions to the University. The official unveiling will be marked by a reception on Saturday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. “While we did send out many invita tions, the reception is also open to the public,” Martin said. “Anyone is free to attend and view the exhibit.” The exhibit’s opening coincides with the beginning of Black History Month and the 2001 Black Former Students Reunion. A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen and Martin will speak at the re ception and welcome participants to the Black Former Students Reunion. a It's an opportunity to welcome back students and thank them for all that they contribute to this University.” — Dr. Ray M. Bowen University President “It’s an opportunity to welcome back students and thank them for all that they contribute to this University,” Bowen said. Although not admitted as students or faculty members until 1963, African- Americans have served in staff positions, such as groundskeepers and custodians, since the University opened in 1876. “One of our panels discusses a custo dian named Daniel Jackson. He was nicknamed Uncle Dan and was well- known and liked by the students,” Mar tin said. “We have several panels featur ing individuals.” Other featured individuals, include Dr. James L. Courtney, the first African- American to receive an undergraduate degree from A&M, and Dr. Roscoe W. Lewis, the first African-American pro fessor to serve on the faculty. Steve Smith, an exhibit advisory committee member, said work on the ex hibit began two years ago and was com pleted with the help of numerous mem bers of the library staff. “In a way, it’s like a work of art; the setup changes with each hit of inspira tion,” Smith said. “This is a big step for [Cushing Library], We have never had an exhibit like this before. Usually, we have a lot of artifacts, so this was a bit more of a challenge to present alTof this information in an appealing way. “Everybody set this as a high priori ty,” he said. “We received funds from See Exhibit on Page 2. By Sommer Bunge The Battalion State Rep. Fred Brown filed a bill this week in the Texas House of Representa tives requesting a $50 raise in the cap of the Recreational Sports Center Fee. Brown is introducing the bill on behalf of the A&M Student Senate, which rec ommended in Spring 2000 that the cap be raised from $50 to $ 100. The cap was set six years ago when the Rec Center on West Campus was opened and has not been raised since, said Rec Sports Director Dennis Corrington. The Rec Center is cur rently running at a deficit, though the operational bud get guarantees upkeep on center equipment for the next year, Corrington said. Mon ey needs to be set aside in a depreciation fund to main tain the building and safe guard against permanent structural damage, he said. “We’re running good now,” Corrington said, “but a fee increase will ensure that, four years from now, we’ll still be OK.” The increase in utility ex penses this year alone is $150,000, Corrington said. The Rec Center’s opera tional budget has increased since it first opened; the stu dent fees, however, have not. The bill was approved by voters during March student body elections, said Speaker of the Student Senate Chad Wagner, a junior political science and history major. Senators examined the phys ical conditions of the Rec Center and determined that extra funding was needed for structural improvements. “In the beginning, the Rec Center wasn't expecting the amount of traffic it has re ceived in the years since it’s been running,” Wagner said. “They need money to paint the walls and replace old car pet, and then maybe they can add new equipment and in crease the number of pro grams and aerobics and kick boxing classes.” A cap is just what it sounds like, Wagner said: a limit on how much students can be charged. It is not nec essarily the amount students are charged in their fee state ments. A raise of the cap means the University can See Rec on Page 8. ROBIN GRAHAM/The Battalion State Rep. Fred Brown proposed a bill that would raise the rec center fee cap so that equipment can be fixed. Student Senate expresses condolences to OSU By Jeanette Simpson The Battalion The Texas A&M Student Senate recognized and shared in the grief of Okla homa State University Wednesday when it adopted a resolution expressing the Senate’s condolences. “[The Oklahoma State] campus is much like our own. We want them to know that we share in their pain with their loss,” said Student Body President Forrest Lane, a senior political sci ence major. With the Spring 2001 elections approaching, the Senate also passed an Elec tion Revision Bill in emer gency legislation, meaning that the bill was read and voted on in the same meet ing. The bill revised the reg ulations each candidate must follow while cam paigning. “Many of the changes presented on this bill are old precedents that needed to be put in writing to make the election regulations more clear,” said Lisa Schlitzkus, chairwoman of the Rules and Regulations Committee and a junior political science major. Among the changes in cluded in the r bill was a clause that prohibits candi dates from offering students rides in the bed of a truck or pulling trailers offering stu dents rides in order to solic it votes. The Senate also increased the filing fee all candidates must pay. Each of the fees was increased $5. The filing fee was increased to cover the cost of running the elections, said Election Com missioner Erika Prochaska, a junior history major. “These fees are the only source of income the elec tion commission has except for the money allocated by the Student Governtnent As sociation,” Prochaska said. “With a recent increase in voter turnout, the cost of running scantrons has risen, and there are also costs with running Battalion ads and purchasing the scantrons.” In other business, the Senate approved two resolu tions congratulating Presi dent George W. Bush and Gov. Rick Perry. City installs parking meters at Promenade Lot, along University oJ |y David Johnson The Battalion ■ Waiting in line for a parking >pot may always be a problem in Northgate, but the city of College Station is trying to lessen the blow of the parking problem. ■ Recently, all 116 parking spaces on the Northgate city lot, ince controlled by a central naster meter, are now con- Jolled by individual electronic iarking meters. The newest ■ase of the Northgate Parking flan was approved by the Col- epe Station City Council last j|ar. Other changes include a [fw parking garage and even- •ual elimination of street-side larking. College Station Fire Mar- hall John Mies said the langes were made in re sponse to complaints of long lines caused by many people trying to pay at one machine. He said that “if one machine went down, the whole lot would go down,” rendering all the parking spots unusable un til a city electrician could fix the meter. Now if a meter goes down, it will affect that partic ular meter, which, he said, can be quickly reprogrammed with a handheld device. The new machines are ac companied by new parking fees. A $4 flat rate will no longer cover all-day parking. From 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. the first hour of parking is free, and each additional hour costs 50 cents. During the day, the meters will allow pre-payment for up to four hours. After 6 p.m.,* indi viduals can pay for up to eight hours of parking, and the rate increases to $1 an hour. Mies said that the change was not made to keep people from parking on Northgate all a It is ridiculous that it costs to park anywhere within short walking distance of Northgate.” — Chris Greco manager, Freebirds' World Burritos day; it is just the way the meters work. Individuals parking on Northgate can pay with change and dollar coins. In the future. the city hopes to implement prepaid cards as a means of payment. Shelby Willett, manager and part owner of Fitzwilly’s, said, “I think it will be better because the last system was terrible. We won’t have people standing, waiting in line anymore.” Although most Northgate businesses are happy to have the headache of the old system alleviated, they see paid park ing as a bigger problem. Chris Greco, manager of Freebirds’ World Burritos, said that parking on Northgate is a “piss-poor situation for every one.” He said, “It is ridiculous that it costs to park anywhere within short walking distance of Northgate.” He said the city is slowly taking away all of Northgate’s free parking, which is affect ing both customers and em ployees. Already, a worker stands watch all day to keep people who do not pay out of their customer lot. Don Ganter, owner of the Dixie Chicken, said, “I don’t like any of it. In my opinion, the parking should be free.” He said that the city should pay for the parking out of the taxes . levied on Northgate businesses. In response to the concerns over paid parking, Mies said, “They (business owners) are al lowed to have their opinion, but we have a job to do.” He said that, before the city lot was built, there were only 30 pot- kristi hines/the battalion holed spaces behind Northgate, Parking at the Northgate lot costs $1 per hour between 6 and that the additional improved p.m. and 7 a.m. The meters allow up to eight hours of pre- payment. During the day, the first hour is free with each ad- ■ See Parking on Page2. ditional hour costing 50 cents.