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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 2001)
day, August hursday, August 31, 2001 THE BATTALION Page 5A oliiSJew child safety, DWI Saws to go into effect By Jon Niven THE BATTALION ew vehicle-safety laws in Texas and go into :t Saturday. he Texas Cooperative Extension Program )egan developing the new regulations after a ■onal organization gave a failing grade to P|as' current vehicle-safety regulations, said Vlarlene Albers, program director for rural pas senger safety education. ■The child restraint law in Texas was rated an T’by National SAFER IDS in Washigton, D.C.. ■p) our legislators took that grade seriously,” Albers said. "They stepped up and moved our ■flate forward to bring that grade up." pThe new laws address child safety, open con i’ « tainers and DWTs. ■■Children who are younger than 4 years old or “shiorter than 36-inches must ride in a federally lit )f'FRS • THF t ^ LT ' approved child restraint system. Previously, paairKt liild y * * ~ ^ . . * By children younger than 2 were required to be in a car seat, while children between the ages s game of 2 and 15 had to be restrained by a seatbelt. tonight ha The fines for these violations have gone up from ■d forTuesda; a minimum of $50 to a maximum of $200. gainst theTarlhBrhe new laws also mandate that children setfor7:30p. younger 17 may not ride unrestrained in a vehi- cer Complex pie. and anyone riding in the bed of a pickup Hons Minorities truck must now be at least 18. Older laws required children younger than 15 to be restrained and be at least 12 years old to ride in the bed of a truck. The new open-container law makes it illegal to have an open container in the passenger area of a vehicle. The definition of an open contain er, according to the extension program, is a bot tle, can or other container that holds an alco holic beverage and has a broken seal or partial ly removed contents. A new law concerning repeat DWI offenders also will go into effect. It states that anyone who is convicted of a second offense within five years of the first offense can lose their driver’s license. The offender will also be required to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicle at their own expense. This device requires the driver to blow into a mouthpiece that will verify that the driver is below the legal alcohol level. If the blood alcohol level registers higher than legal limit, .08 percent, the car will not start. While no laws are perfect, Albers said this is a step forward for the state of Texas. “There is always room for improvement,” Albers said. “Our legislature has empowered law enforcement to make a difference. Everyone should buckle up everybody on every trip and save a life.” MSC Continued from Page 1A Continued from Page 1A i turned out tfj points than on 1-A scl ricanes. further at the University of Virginia, offering translations of works bile mostpeoj ini Spanish, French, Dutch, Portuguese and other languages. Ming a total hi Cal laloo now publishes poetry, fiction, plays, critical essays and - Aggies. Me visual arts from African-American writers across the globe, is a decent tear ■“] expect the Callaloo to make a large contribution to the cur- c 14 point ricuium at Texas A&M,” Rowell said. “It will introduce a various ' ' y scope of literature from African descendants of slaves that live in the Americas and in Europe.” Lawrence Mitchell, head of the English department, said Rowell will be teaching African-American poetry and a course in Southern literature, starting in the spring semester. ■ Aeeies fhxnB sa 'd Callaloo and Rowell will attract graduate and T ,T. undergraduate students to the University and raise the national pro- edit for. W of A&M’s litarary scholarship. >ffense rolling ■“Professor Rowell will offer an extensive amount of knowledge ■ Aggies. The concerning African-American writers and artists,” Mitchell said, ue the Aggies “His contributions to our African-American literature and creative one wide reef writing courses will be invaluable.” Johnson to«l The national rankings of a university are determined by the qual- lew role ast ity 0 f its graduate program and the publications that come out of the program. Rowell has the potential to improve A&M’s national rank- f airis u: j n g S publishing his prestigious journal through the University and : : l !L 1 K offering a wider variety of classes that will attract graduate students, an overmatf ... , . , Mitchell said. II raise his seJ P resence °f Rowell and his journal at A&M will also help to eld to 6-0. 13. pot Framing BPD dispel negative myths about the University as narrow minded and intolerant, Mitchell said. I “Mr. Rowell should indicate to people that Texas A&M is not a hpmogenous institution,” Mitchell said. “He should broaden the hbrizon of people within the University and change the perception of our University to outsiders.” of MSC Hospitality and a senior recreation, park and tourism sci ences major. The event will allow not only freshmen, but all students, to leam more about the activities on campus. “I am looking forward to going,” said Travis Welch, a freshman general studies major. “I want to become more familiar with campus activities and organizations.” Moffitt said students will need to be patient to reach all of the event tables. “It will be hot and very crowded, so please be patient, especially since there will be tables inside and outside, and therefore the doors will be open ing often with students constant ly walking in and out,” he said. Josh Rowan, MSC president and a senior agricultural devel opment major, said Open House also serves as a way for campus organizations to gather together. “I am always excited to see the large number of organiza tions and students coming together for this common pur pose,” Rowan said. -1422 tt 2001) .22 Continued from Page 1A I someone could hurt you,” Montoya said. I The College Station Police Department (CSPD) joined with the University Police Department (UPD) last fall to form a task force addressing the alcohol abuse and noise problem. In seven weekends, the task force issued 620 alcohol citations, 212 disorderly conduct cita tions 23 warning citations and made 95 arrests. Lt. Dan Jones, public information officer for CSPD, said the task force was formed in 1999. Jones said he hopes, through the continued team approach to the loud party and alcohol abuse problem, that the task force can further reduce the number of loud parties while increas ing awareness to the dangers of irresponsible alchohol use. Mark Your Calendar Now! ens laguefte sseire Chicker mbos Green 90 lips 79 iollege Static 73 Texas A&M University's 125 th Celebration / October 3-4-2001 % y v'= ,TUD £V7- MSC OPAS Now Accepting New Members Applications NOW available in the OPAS Office, MSC Student Programs Rm. 223 of the MSC. Applications Due @ 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 5, 2001. Informational Meeting after Open House on Sunday, September 2, 2001 in Rudder 701 6:30 p.m. Questions? Call 845-1661 Have you opened yone account with Aggfeland Credit Union? » YES ~ You may not be ready for class, but you have already passed your first test! Whoop! - or - NO ~ What are you thinking? Don’t you know that Aggieland Credit Union was established to serve YOU! They are nonprofit, have great rates, excellent service, and convenient locations. They also offer: • FREE Checking with No Minimum Balance & Unlimited Check Writing! • FREE VISA Check Card! • FREE 24-hour Internet Banking with GTNet! • FREE 24-hour Telephone Banking! • and More! AGG INLAND CREDITM UNION a branch of Greater TEXAS Federal Credit Union 201 Southwest Pkwy. E & 501 University Dr. W I www.aggielandcu.org is (979) 696-1440 J'sf NCUA Aggie Decorated: • T-shirts • Longsleeve T-shirts • Sweatshirts • Henleys • Youth T-shirts • Youth Sweatshirts • Toddler T-shirts • Toddler Sweatshirts • Golf Shirts • Hats • Bags and More... All First Quality Goods/'/ 112 Hollem Fall Warehouse MOOT SUE "You wanted MORE sweatshirts & longsleeve T's" "Yon wanted MORE infant & toddler shirts" "You wanted MORE hats & hags" "You wanted ONE more chance at these prices" Well, You Got It!!! And Then Some!!! 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