Brand New Luxury Student Apartment Community! Bio ■ o Want a seriously fun place to live? ...Great idea! NOW PRE-LEASING! Individual Leases Bus Continued from Page 1 Jackson said. “However, if the number of Blinn students shown riding is statistically insignificant, I don't think it would be worth the effort.” According to ridership figures collected by Bus Operations earlier in the semester, an aver age of 12,700 students ride on-campus routes per day Monday through Friday. Off-campus routes include Bonfire, Cotton Bowl, Bush School, Ring Dance, Centerpole, Excel, Aggieland, Texas Aggie, the residence shuttle and limited night routes. An average of 15,700 students ride off-campus routes per day Monday through Friday. On-campus routes include Elephant Walk, Hullabaloo, Ring Dance, Aggieland, Reveille, Texas Aggie, Centerpole, Howdy, Fish Camp, Aggie Band, and Gig’Em. Some 29.000 students ride th weekday, compared to last year 23,(XX) students. Jackson said the numbers from the survey taken last week indicate that very few faculty ride the buses, but PITS will subsidize the fund ing to offset the cost of any faculty and staff using the buses. This wet entertainm aged to ch performam buses each average of The Northg cover c Groff Continued from Page 1 At Ltuhtr ftn 1101 Luther Street West College Station, Texas 77840 866-S17-09S8 FREE! • Ethernet and Cable • Tanning bed • Washer and Dryer • Computer room with Internet access • 24-hour fitness center tfuL 'LWi* www.notthedorm.com WESTGATE SHOPPING CENTER 4353 WELLBORN ROAD B46-7B52 $P0Frr$ $Cr? CIlEAP DPiyjCS, FPEE school, “and we have the best,” Groff said. Then, hire good coaches and great facilities for recruitment. His most important accom plishment, Groff said, is the immense growth of campus ath letic facilities. The new tennis facility, track, softball field and the Zone have all been constructed under Groff. “I guess I'll be known as the ‘Building A.D.,’ " he said. He said the athletic depart ment now is seeking donations to build a complex on the south end of Kyle Field, and begin work on a West Campus training facility. Groff said one of his most difficult challenges is to find creative ways to fund it. The department has raised about $18 million of the $31 million needed for both projects and expects to break ground on the South End Academic Center in September 2002. Although Groff directs ath letics at a school where football is nearly a religion, he is a base ball man. He has never played collegiate sports, but said he still remembers his baseball days from high school. Groff is in his fourth and final year as the chairman of the NCAA Division One Baseball Committee — a posi tion with immense responsibil ity. His tasks include running the collegiate world champi onship tournament and select ing umpires. “It’s a lot of work, but I get to see a lot of baseball,” he said. He said it is sometimes hard to stay objective as an Aggie fan. He could not vote on some committee matters in 1999 when A&M was in the tournament. “But I wasn't complain ing.” he said. “I was proud as a peacock.” Under Groff's rein, women’s athletics has grown imo a $10-million program and has gained national attention and recognition. Despite presiding over a growing and successful athletic program, it is not always smooth sailing. As initiator of the contract with ESPN's controversial show, '“Sidelines,” Groff has been in the news lately and has been concerned by the show's often embarrassing portrayal of life at A&M. “I thought when 1 made the call to do the show, the exposure would be outstanding,” he said. “But I had to get involved after the second show." Groff said he did not think the episode that showed two Blinn College student binge drinking was within the contract agreement, so he contacted the show producers. Groff was again put on the defensive after the athletic department’s offer to allow area boy and girl scouts in uniform attend the Iowa State football game on Oct. 27. The depart ment nixed the offer when tick ets sold out the week before the game, causing a community outcry and negative publicity for Groff. Groff said the misconception is that the department had tick ets for all the scouts and took them away, but the offer was actually based on seat availabil ity. He said scout leaders are aware of that stipulation. Groff sits in the 10th floor press box with his family for Aggie home games, but said he takes time to walk around the stadium once or twice a season to make sure everything is good, and to get a feel for the spirit of |t cash, but use cld'ictd it cards. We haveWcass(a broad daylight u getting robbed. Youtoftociety. We your instincts and repv'flRecords of c thing that seems susp® Setl will pe your p tion al “Texas owlinc Another emerging I nee Bonfire Continued from Page 1 remain in place during the building of Bonfire and throughout the year — an obvious eyesore. Cole said. A second design featured a telescoping steel centerpole that could be lowered when Bonfire was not being constructed. Cole said that “gave up safety,” because problems could ensue if the steel centerpole were to collapse on itself. A third design. Cole said, was voted out by stu dents on the committee for simply being too far from student expectation. The three finalist designs all meet Bowen’s parameters for a “forever safe” Bonfire of a sin gle-tier tee-pee design in which all logs touch the ground. Traditionally, past Aggie Bonfires were constructed in a six-tiered, wedding-cake structure with the upper levels of logs resting on the logs below them. Cole said the three designs, following Bowen's parameters, look similar. Turner Construction signed on as the Bonfire 2(X)2 safety firm Nov. 8, making a quick transition to aiding design firm CBM Engineers with the 16 potential designs. Turner had a little more than a week to closely examine the six designs and pro vide safety and risk assessments for each one dur ing Tuesday’s meeting. Turner's contract was approved by A&M reviewing boards last week, based on the safety firm’s bid for an hourly fee of between $100 and $125 an hour. Cole said, calling the bid “a reason able price.” Turner and CBM’s contracts will be reviewed when Bowen makes a decision on Bonfire 2002. Students will have an opportunity to provide feed back on the three finalists during the first few weeks of classes in January on the Website, studentaffairs.tamu.edu/bonfire02, and through open forums. Cole said. By Jan. 18, Cole hopes to begin ana lyzing the student responses to chose the final design in the steering committee by the end of January. identity Rowling’s involves _ National Crime te'lcovers he h Center (NCPC) ureesctt'pimj wizard remain on heightenedji-T ing the holiday season. “Criminals love the as much as everyonej because it is a perfectop^ sclent at the The film \ md the Uni '.Bebut week- ’* Rowling, I ty to commit a crime."stfil,.,, ... NCPC Website. “D n JB l,fflcult| es NCPC personal information aid caution when m machines or paying cards. Protect your im» whether it is a card for® disc or phone service.If ping online, stay with cot* you know, keep your pas private. Use a secured Pay by credit card and te sonal information private’ For more information® 1 iday safety, contact 845-8900. Some decisions are obvious, while others require a more DISCERNING eye Take a long, hard look at South Texas College of Law. We believe you'll like what you discover. A vibrant institution nestled on the edge of Houston's newly revitalized downtown, South Texas offers you a premier environment in which to live, study and play. South Texas students are within walking distance of nationally prestigious law firms, boutique law practices and global corporations, and minutes away from a world-class theater district, beautiful parks, major league sports facilities, acclaimed restaurants and nighttime entertainment. Our faculty and staff constantly reevaluate and update courses and services to ensure your success in today’s rapidly changing legal environment. This balanced approach maximizes the knowledge and skills of both full- and part-time students. You can maximize your future now by enrolling at South Texas College of Law today! SOUTH TEXAS COLLEGE O F L AW For more information, call the Admissions Office at 713-646-1810 or visit our website at www.stcl.edu. 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