FRIDAY
February 2, 2001
Volume 107 ~ Issue 86
8 pages
ttalion News Radio: 1:57 p.m. KAMU 90.9
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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.