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About The Battalion. (College Station, Tex.) 1893-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 28, 2002)
HURSDAYFEBRUARY 28, 2002 VOLUME 108 • ISSUE 104 7 'tttt? t> a nr nr a t gh 1 rlli r>Al IAjLIwJN TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY 5 of ch the volume olsl 11 victim reli •idence shows are still giving!: ually support I measured pec-J ie to the terrcd redit card scam affects 200 people EZ-Mart customers notice unauthorized charges CrSefit (»ap@l By Brandie Liffick THE BATTALION people surve.% t donated in; . ~ . . „ . . iv Includlno College Station man was arrested Friday or voluntK nchar S es °* stealin g credit card numbers from «ast 2(X) EZ-Mart customers and charging fllto each of their accounts. Roshy Rajendran, an EZ-Mart clerk at the University Dr. location, told police he 25.5% j^iQUId “note down” customer card numbers and go to the A&M Student Computing Center ■Are he would enter the numbers into a Web i9.a%] page that would credit his own company, called Cataris. Rajendran was trying to start his own computer company, said College Station Police Department Detective Michael Pavelka. EZ-Mart customers started noticing charges to Cataris on their bills last week, Pavelka said. Rajendran currently is being held by the police department, and bond has not yet been set. Pavelka said victims should contact their banks and fill out a fraud affidavit, and then contact the police at 764-3618. “They need to then bring in the forms from their bank, and we'll do everything we can to get their money back,” Pavelka said. “This is a good example of why it is so important for ^ credit card users to look over their statements carefully and make sure that they know where all the charges come from.” EZ-Mart corporate officials did not return phone calls Wednesday. CHAD MALLAM • THE BATTALION ie who 2 was t : nvolvedm the word v ne kind of 'I strain. Dum, the Waif things exposed to." hey had seai> the Tri-State l eight acres.- (e. Authoritie: e lake. JOHN LIVAS • THE BATTALION Iharity the clown, Marcia Lightsey, was on hand at the MSC to make balloon characters for passers-by Tuesday afternoon. Lightsey was sponsored by the Brazos Valley Coalition for Life. Health Services Director appointed By C.E. Walters THE BATTALION Texas A&M selected a new director of Student Health Services Wednesday. Dr. Linda Lekawski was hired to fill the vacancy left by the late Dr. Lucille Lsdale. Of the three candidates considered, Lekawski came the most highly recommend ed, said Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Dr. Bill Kibler. In addition to Lekawski, Dr. Scott Spear and Reginald Bond were considered for the job. As candidates, all three were interviewed by people drawn from a pool of 100 staff and faculty members, students and the local medical com munity. “[Lekawski wasj clearly the most highly evaluated,” Kibler said. The recent controversy surrounding the candidacy of Spear, a supporter of abortion rights and a for mer employee of Planned Parenthood, had little impact on the outcome, Kibler said. But, he said, all opinions were taken in to account. Kibler said Spear did not withdraw his application. Brandon Posvar, presi dent of Aggies for Life, a group that was critical of Spear’s candidacy, said he was satisfied with the deci sion not to hire him. “I’m happy and 1 believe that the administration made the correct decision, at least in terms of (not) hiring Dr. Spear,” Posvar said. At its meeting last week, the Student Senate tabled a resolution asking that Kibler consider a less politically- active candidate than Spear, See Health on page 2A Wiley: Media effects are far-reaching, powerful By Melissa McKeon THE BATTALION The media decides what people think about, act upon and what problems society chooses to solve, veteran journalist Charles Wiley said Wednesday. Those who think the media deliberately change the news to fit the reporter’s point of view have every reason to feel correct in their criticism, Wiley said. Wiley spoke in the Memorial Student Center about accuracy and bias in the media during a lecture hosted by the Texas A&M College Republicans. Wiley is a veteran journalist whose work has led to his arrest eight times by secret police, including the KGB and imprison ment in Castro’s Cuba while reporting for WOR radio in New York. He has covered 11 wars and travels the globe lecturing on media bias and journalistic ethics. He is also a frequent guest and commentator for many magazines, newspapers and televi sion-news shows. He works for the Accuracy in Media group based in Washington, D.C. Accuracy in Media investigates complaints of serious media malpractice and works to advocate higher standards in writing, editing and reporting the news responsibly. Wiley spoke about advocacy journalism, which he said is the type of journalism most reporters use today. In that role, a journalist reports on a certain issue from his or her point of view. He said the turning point from objective journalism to advocacy journalism was the 1960s. Wiley gave his opinion of why he felt the See Journalist on page 2A “Exhibit honors Black History in Forsyth gallery By Christina Hoffman THE BATTALION Black History Month is coming to a close, Jt the Forsyth Center gallery in the lemorial Student Center will continue to iok at the history of blacks at Texas A&M iroughout the semester, with an exhibit, “In ulfillment of a Dream: African Americans at ;xas A&M University.” The exhibit aims to recognize the historical mtributions, achievements and participation ’blacks since A&M began. The exhibit, on loan from the Cushing ibrary, will help students and visitors to the tilery realize how far the history of blacks at A&M spans, said Steve Smith, interim dean of the Cushing Library and administrative curator for the exhibit. “It tries to show the good, the bad and the ugly part of this history. In doing that, however, I think we gain a greater appreciation for all memberg of the Aggie family,” Smith said. Research for the exhibit began in spring of 1998 by Angus Martin, a former staff member of the Cushing Library. Originally the exhibit showed in Cushing from February to June 2001, then was displayed in the ground floor rotunda of the Texas State Capitol during the summer. “It is in a prime location. So far we have received really great reviews,” said Marci Holland, director of marketing for the Forsyth Center. “I encourage everyone to come by and see it.” The exhibit honors important black figures beginning in 1876, although blacks could not enroll until 1963. However, in their support staff capacity, many dedicated their lives to help build A&M, and these men and women are categorized as the invisible men and women. Smith said. “For example, Daniel Jackson worked on campus from 1876 to 1920. He may hold the record for longest tenure of any A&M employee,” Smith said. Since integration in 1963, blacks have bailment of 3 ^*£l*°*-* JoTTN TIVAS^THE batlalion See Gallery on page 2A A&M black history exhibit in the MSC Forsyth Center gallery. Prying methods researched at A&M By Sarah Szuminski THE BATTALION II receive I ig money, if f g Place apartir f a lease for yoif ^all 680-8475C The future of healthier snack food is promising, ace leasing cef'cording to research of the frying process by Dr. Rosana iin the Culpep^ ore ' ra ’ associate professor in A&M’s Department of iological and Agricultural Engineering, nts where stir rising new technology in food frying, junk food can ; made with a lower oil content, less vitamin loss and a gher overall quality. PjLqO Moreira has been studying the effects of various real learning. methods and alternatives to food frying processes for more than 10 years, since the Frito Lay company first expressed an interest in understanding the scientific aspects of frying. “At that time, no work in frying had ever been done. Everyone knew how to fry (food), but the engineering and scientific aspects were unknown,” Moreira said. Two areas of her research are vacuum frying and steam See Republicans on page 8A INSIDE AggieLife Pg. 3A Let them eat cookies New wedding trends alter traditional ceremonies Sci|Tech Pg. 5B The truth about cloning FORECASTS COURTESY OF