MONDAY March 5, 2001 Volume 107 ~ Issue 109 12 pages m. K AMU 90.9 wm'i • I =KfiVWiT-11'i UK'IW ^: WI»' www.thebalt.coii'i ggie crowned Miss USA rnalism senior will compete for Miss Universe ■dy Creel Batralio?i Kipdace Krueger, a 24-year-old dor journalism major, was ^ftd Miss USA Friday night, ^■i/ii.' the eighth Lone Stardel- \AM s(u- u m “Me w hole night is a big blur." ^^i^ueaer said. “It is hard to put into ompeteinr * 1 * * * * ^ 8 - , . ian Arena 1 # eger began P rehminar y mpfetition for the Miss USA con- follnu 1 Monday and was crowned dur- 's itiir' = te l ev ' se( J final round of ^^^fttition. “Going into the finals, I felt like had done my very .best,” » ^ ;ueger said. “I knew I could only Jlll' m best, and the rest was in jd’!- hands.” this weeke Since her coronation, Krueger tosetthev idlhe has not stopped moving, it for a wtril: ie las held a press conference, re- ptherecunc ■_ v sophotr turned home to New York and has been preparing for Monday-morn ing interviews on CNN and Live, u As I was getting ready Friday night, I decided I should probably wear [my Aggie ring] because it brought me good luck as Miss Texas.’’ — Kandace Krueger Miss USA with Regis and Kelly. Krueger said she someday hopes to work as a sports broadcaster. “This is going to be a fabulous opportunity, career-wise,” she said. Krueger won Miss Texas in July and has been on a school sab batical since then. “I chose to take the year off and focus on my responsibilities as Miss Texas,” she said. Krueger said she will take off another year from school as she travels the nation as Miss USA and prepares to compete for the Miss Universe crown in May. She only need 13 hours to graduate. “I do hope that I am able to re turn to A&M,” Krueger said. Despite her new titles and re sponsibilities, Krueger has not for gotten her ties to A&M. She said her Aggie ring was one of the only pieces of jewelry she wore for Fri day’s telecast. “As I was getting ready Friday night, I decided I should probably wear [my Aggie ring] because it brought me good luck as Miss Texas,” Krueger said. “I think that was; a good decision.” Krueger said Friday night’s evejnt was the 50th anniversary of the Miss USA pageant, and many former queens were there. Among thos;e was Kimberly Tomes, also an /kggie. Tomes won the pageant in 1 977. “She wasn’t aware going into the pageant that I was from Texas A&M,” Krueger said. K'rueger said Aggies should set goafs and pursue them. “What is important is that you achieve your goals on your own merit, keeping your own morals,” she $aid. Krueger said she will continue to fight for breast and ovarian can cer awareness as her cause during her reign as Miss USA. “I set a goal after 1 won Miss Texas to touch as many people as I could.,” she said. S?f Can you dig It? record, -i 1 . freshr: members of s also the Afe i. She beat 1 ■d recurve are o. and 5 pal rnamentwilh nissionisfru BERNARDO GARZA/The Battauon Josh Poole, a freshman general studies major, digs for a volleyball as it comes over the net at the Student Recreation Center sand volleyball court Sunday. Kandace Krueger, a senior journalism major, beat out 50 other women for the title of Miss USA. Krueger will compete for Miss Universe in May. Airplane crash kills 21 people UNADILLA, Ga. (AP) — Military crews battled slick, muddy conditions Sunday as they tried to recover the re mains of 21 National Guard members killed when their twin-engine C-23 Sherpa crashed in a field in heavy rain. Officials were not sure how long the recovery would take because of deep mud in the area, which has had nearly 4 inches of rain over the weekend. “It’s a quagmire,” said Lt. Col. Deb orah Bertrand, a spokeswoman at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins that had tracked the plane. Although the rain had stopped, winds were expected to force crash site crews to halt work overnight, said Faye Williams, a spokeswoman at Robins Air Force Base. “You’re trying to get big flat beds, heavy equipment in and out,” she said. “You don’t want to have a problem with stabilization.” Three Florida Army National Guard personnel and 18 Virginia Air National Guard members were killed when the transport plane crashed Saturday morn ing south of Macon and burst into flame. Officials said there were two debris fields: one 400-feet-by-400-feet and a smaller one about a quarter-mile away. On Sunday, skies were overcast and winds were strong as about 150 workers searched slowly through the wreckage. “They’re far more concerned with safety at this point, than speed,” said Maj. Randy Noller, spokesman for the National Guard Bureau in Washington. “Slippery mud makes it a relatively dan gerous site.” The bodies will be taken to an Air Force casualty center in Dover, Del. In-flight data and voice recorders have been found, but investigators do not know yet if they were working, said Col. Dan Woodward, an Air Force spokesman. The Army Safety Center’s investiga tion team from Fort Rucker, Ala., “will require a significant arrtount of time” to investigate the crash and determine the possible cause, Noller said. “Obviously there was bad weather when the crash happened, but at this point we don’t know if it was a factor,” Noller said. “It’s an obvious criteria to look at.” Air Force officials escorted reporters and photographers Sunday past dozens of muddy all-terrain vehicles and Humvees to a command post about a half-mile from the main crash site. The area could be reached only by a dirt road marked by gullies carved by the heavy weekend rains. Water stood in ditches and fields that had been plowed 3 feet deep in preparation for spring planting. ONS-M ■ # gjResnet hosts study-group site By Emily Hendrickson Ujc Battalion Finding a study group is now easier ’thanks to a new Website created by se nior computer engineering major Dal las Ramsey. Students can submit their 'schedules online and find others with the same classes. They then have the option to contact each other and form a study group. |B The Website was created last year but was only accessible to Aston Hall resi dents. This semester, it is available cam pus-wide, Ramsey said. Students can submit their courses and find students ;with the same classes, along with their email addresses and phone numbers. I Ramsey said everyone can benefit ifjrom this site if many students use it and contact each other. H “There are approximately 1,000 en tries right now, but there could be a lot more if students knew this site was available to them,” Ramsey said. Anyone can access this site and email questions to another student in the same class. Another benefit of the site is that it provides the student’s residence hall addresses, so students will know if they live in the same area on campus. The site was awarded “Program of the Month” by the Department of Resi dential Life in September 2000. “It may not be a flashy Website, but it gets the job done,” Ramsey said. Fliers were placed around campus and in the residence halls so that students would know this site is available. More people need to use this site in or der for it to be more successful, Ramsey said. Some students have not yet received See Studying on Page 6. \ http://study.resnet.tamu.edu | 11010010101 10100110101 evar&raers m Shear 11010011100 masses f;@ * Pirwdes a RUBEN DELUNA/TheBattalion Police arrest Corps scholastic officer jy Brady Creel The Battalion Philip Carson, Corps of Cadets icholastic officer and a senior econom- cs major, was arrested Saturday and charged with providing alcohol to a mi- tor. n The Corps scholastics officer is a lorps Staff position responsible for the academics of all cadets in the Corps. According to the College Station Police Department (CSPD) significant activity report, Carson was arrested at 217 University Dr. just before mid night Saturday. “Saturday night, I was at Shadow Canyon, and I poured a beer for a friend of mine,” Carson said. “It was a mistake.” He said he did not think to ask his friend whether he was of age before he poured the beer. Mark Welsh, Corps commander and a senior finance major, said he has not made any decisions on disciplinary ac tion or the future of Carson’s position on the Corps staff. “I am sure [Carson] will be given a chance to tell his side of the story,” Welsh said. He said the situation is unique be cause it involved a cadet, and the charge was not for a minor in possession. Car son’s case will go through the same dis ciplinary channels as any other alcohol violation. Welsh said. Welsh said that in the eyes of tbie Corps, Carson will be innocent until proven guilty, but he will await the resul ts See Arrest on Page 6. Students brave bad weather to plant more than 300 saplings By Andy Hancock The Battalion While most students were sleeping this past Sat urday, a number of Aggies braved the cold, rainy weather to participate in Replant. Three Replant sites were chosen for 2001 Re plant; a tree farm in Somerville, Tiffany Park in Bryan and the Bryan Regional Athletic Com plex. At the Somerville site, voluateers potted more than 1100 seedlings, and about 300 trees were planted at the two Bryan sites. A tradition started in 1991 as a way to compen sate for trees that were cut down for use in Bonfire, Replant has now grown into a tradition focused on environmental issues. “Replant is now totally for the environment,” said Replant director and senior educational health major Leanne Hall. In the past, seedlings and trees were planted at old Bonfire cut sites, however, in recent years all trees have been planted at various locations within the B-CS area, Hall said. Originally the majority of trees planted were young small trees. Now, though fewer trees are planted, they are bigger. The trees that were plant ed stood on average of 5 feet tall according to Hall. Bigger trees are planted for a number of reasons, Hall said. “We began planting larger trees because they have a higher survival rate and also from advice from the Texas Forest Service,” Hall said. The Texas Forest Service suggested that begin ning in Fall 2001, future Replants will be held in late October rather than early spring due to better chances of tree survival. Replant participant and Student Body Presi dent Forrest Lane spoke at this year’s kick off to the rain-soaked crowd, as those with umbrellas huddled beneath them. “It is all about giving back to the environment and the community,” Lane said. “I have been com ing out since 1996.” Approximately 1,300 volunteers participate in Replant each year. ANDY HANCOCK/The Batta' ion Forrest Lane, student body president and se- • nior political science major, addresses Replant participants Saturday. Over 300 trees were planted around the area.