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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 20, 2001)
TUESDAYNOVEMBER 20, 2001 Texas A&M University 2 SECTIONS • 14 PAGES Celebrating 125 Years / /\ C A ^ | * A ^ I / / h o A o nn ^ > 'A College Station, Texas www.thebatt.com NEWS IN BRIEF Bush signs bill, putting screeners on U.S. payroll WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush signed legis lation Monday to put the nation’s airport baggage screeners on the federal pay roll, part of an effort to enhance airline safety and reassure passengers the skies are safe 10 weeks after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The legislation — the sub ject of political wrangling — was the latest in a series of steps the government has taken to tighten safety in the skies. Additional air marshals have been assigned to flights in greater numbers; airline companies have strength ened cockpit doors and members of the National Guard now patrol many of the nation’s airports. The measure requires air ports to expand inspections of checked baggage, and explo sive detection systems are to be in place by the end of next year. The Transportation Department may authorize pilots to have weapons in the cockpit of their planes. To finance the security improvements, passengers will be charged a $2.50 fee each time they board a plane for a flight, up to $5 per trip. Congress began work on the measure not long after the ^ept. 11 suicide hijack ings that killed thousands in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania. PUBLIC EYE Students who ride on-campus buses each day 11,791 TODAY Page 4A Understanding Islam Lookin’ for respect Ags hope to upset No. 5 Horns, spoil Texas’ 2001 National Championship hopes OPINION Page SB Rivals to the Corps ... always Battalion and Texan editors square off WEATHER today HIGH ^ 60° F LOW 40° F TOMORROW K— ^ HIGH nM:'' "v LL o lO CD Ai_ LOW 32° F Reed Rowdies promote A&M basketball CODY WAGES * THE BATTALION Mike Solomon, a member of Reed Rowdies, smashes a car set up by the group to promote awareness and participation in the Texas A&M-George Washington basketball game tonight. A&M-Blinn co-enrollment up By Melissa Sullivan THE BATTALION Texas A&M students enrolled at Blinn College account for 14 percent of Blinn’s total enrollment this semester, officials said. A&M Registrar Don Carter said the more than 1,400 co enrolled students may be the result of full classes at A&M, not the perception that classes are easier at the community college. “They don’t necessarily take classes there because they may be easier; we have instructors who teach there as Ags not visiting advisers A third have not sought advice By Justin Smith THE BATTALION Nearly one-third of Texas A&M students have never met with their academic adviser, according to a survey conducted by the Student Senate last month. But advisers say it is important for students to con sult with them to ensure they are progressing with their degree plans. Students should visit with their adviser at least once a semester, said Dr. Lawrence Petersen, a computer science undergraduate adviser. “Sometimes a rumor will start about what courses to take and students will end up taking a class which won’t do them any good,” Petersen said. “I’d much rather have a well as here at A&M,” Carter said. “Primarily, there are more classes at Blinn that don’t fill up as easily.” Blinn College students often enroll at A&M to earn hours at the four-year institu tion. Blinn has the highest transfer rate of any community college in the state, with 23.6 percent transferring to other colleges, said Vivian Jefferson, director of Admissions and Records for Brazos County from Blinn College. Enrollment at Blinn, which includes an increase in the number of co-enrolled A&M students, has increased at least 3 percent every semester, Jefferson said. “Blinn offers smaller class es, with 25 students as com pared to 100, in subjects like English and government, plus more sections to choose from,” she said. Students like being a part of the A&M community, Jefferson said. She said students who are fresh out of high school find that enrolling at Blinn makes the transition to college easier. The 1,400 co-enrolled stu dents do not include the 370 students in TEAM Blinn, which places A&M waiting-list stu dents into Blinn for basics and then conditionally admits them to the University once they have completed 45 hours at Blinn. TEAM Blinn began this semes ter and guarantees co-enroll ment with the majority of a stu dent’s 12-hour load taken at Blinn and three to five hours taken in residence at A&M. Students must complete 45 hours at Blinn, 15 hours at A&M and maintain a 3.0 grade-point ratio to gain full time admittance to A&M. Co-enrollment admissions have already risen as a result of TEAM Blinn, and administra tors at both schools expect admissions will continue to rise. Proposed A&M program may fight bioterrorism By Emily Peters THE BATTALION The Sept. 1 1 terrorist acts and the appear ance of anthrax have heightened national con cern about bioterrorism and its potential effects on what the government has declared a “vulnerable” food supply. Texas A&M may soon be one of the lead ers in bioterrorism research. Plans for a new anti-bioterrorism institution at A&M will be presented to the A&M System Board of Regents in December. If approved, the Institute for Countermeasures Against Agricultural Bioterrorism will culminate the A&M System’s research efforts on multiple aspects of bioterrorism, which is the deliberate release of toxins or infectious organisms. “If you look across the entire idea of ter rorism, there are people looking at all aspects at A&M,” said Neville Clarke, director of A&M’s Center for Natural Resource Information Technology. “We hope to align all of that talent.” Clarke said the plan existed before Sept. 11, but public need and government support have changed dramatically since then, and more government funds for this type of research have been made available. The institute will develop technology to prevent attacks on U.S. agriculture and food supply and research how to handle outbreaks See Bioterrorism on page 6B. Seniors ‘die’ at E-Walk By Christina Hoffman THE BATTALION Today, the Class of 2002 will “die” out, and the Class of 2003 will officially take its place as seniors. Elephant Walk and Junior E- Walk begin at 2:02 and 2:03 respec tively. Elephant Walk marks the end of the “usefulness” of the Aggie sen iors to the student body as they wan der around campus for the last time, said Beth Weems, Class of 2002 president and a senior agricultural development major. “There has been a lot of hard work put into these events, and it will be great to see fellow classmates join together in unity to carry out such a time-honored tradition,” Weems said. Junior E-Walk coincides with Elephant Walk because juniors walk in celebration of becoming the new leaders on campus. Started in 1992, the junior event is called E-Walk because juniors are not allowed to say “elephant,” Weems said. Events will begin at 10 a.m. on the Law-Puryear Field. There will be live music, a fajita lunch at 1 1 a.m., games and Reveille and elephants to take pic tures with, said Chris Durham, a jun ior genetics major and president of the Class of 2Qp3. Tickets for the lunch will be on sale in limited numbers at Law-Puryear Field for $7. After the fajita lunch, seniors will meet at Kyle Field for yell practice and to hear the Elephant Walk speak er, Dr. John Hoyle, a professor in public school administration and future studies. The Class of 2002 will step off from Kyle Field, Weems said. Juniors will remain at Law- Puryear Field for the Jr. E-Walk speaker, Ronnie McDonald, Class of 1993 and A&M’s first African- American yell leader, Durham said. “This is the first time for the Class of 2003 to come together, unified as a class,” Durham said. Bryan Barton, a senior economics major and a member of Traditions Council, said Elephant Walk and Jr. E-Walk are ways for the classes to come together a few last times. “It’s a realization that our time is quickly coming to an end,” Barton said. “We have to use all the time we have left.” ELEPHANT WALK & JUNIOR E-WALK CLASS OF 2002 KYI f Fir to 2:02 P.M. CLASS OF 2003 t. AW PUR YEAR I It IP 2:03 P.M, ADRIAN CALCANEO • THE BATTALION Comstock, others file Bonfire lawsuits Staff & Wire THE BATTALION FORECASTS COURTESY OF www.weathermanted.com See Advisers on P a g e 2A. Two more lawsuits related to the deadly 1999 Aggie Bonfire collapse were filed Monday, the deadline to sue in connection with the accident, including one by the most severely injured survivor. John Comstock and his mother, Dixie Edwards, filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Galveston, said Lee Alford, the family’s Bryan-based attorney. Comstock’s left leg was ampu tated above the knee and his right arm was partially para lyzed after being trapped under the stack for seven hours. Comstock was hospitalized for five months after the Nov. 18, 1999, collapse. He under went intense physical therapy in Dallas, living at home and learning to walk, write and drive again. Comstock was able to return to the A&M campus for Fall 2001. “The lawsuit was filed to protect his rights and see what, if anything, he is entitled to recover for the damages he sus tained,” Alford said. Texas A&M President Dr. Ray M. Bowen, other school officials, several current and former students and several companies involved in con structing Bonfire were named as defendants, similar to other Bonfire lawsuits. All of the suits seek unspecified damages. Comstock’s federal lawsuit alleges Aggie Bonfire was a See Bonfire on page 2A.